"I 


^'i^ 


Major  General  George  B.  Duncan 


Official  History  of  82nd  Division 
American  Expeditionary  Forces 

**An  American*  Division 

Written    by    Divisional    Officers 
Designated  by  the  Division  Commander 


1917-1919 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE   BOBBS-MERRILL   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1919,  by 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  CO. 


h' 


Printed  m  the  United  States  of  America 


PRESS  OP 

BRAUNWORTH  &  CO. 

BOOK  MANUF-ACTURERS 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE 


The  history  of  tlie  82nd  Division  represents  thft  col- 
laboration of  a  large  number  of  officers  and  men  of  this 
Division.  The  undersigned  was  given  the  task  of  pre- 
paring in  narrative  form  an  account  of  the  operations  in 
which  the  82nd  Division  participated  on  the  western 
front.  To  this  I  have  added  a  brief  statement  of  the 
organization  and  early  training  of  the  Division.  Every 
**A11  American'*  should  be  informed  of  the  steps  which 
have  been  taken  to  make  this  record  accurate  in  the 
smallest  detail.  Immediately  after  the  Armistice,  General 
Duncan  directed  every  Company,  Battalion  and  Eegi- 
mental  Commander  to  prepare  a  written  statement  of  the 
history  of  his  unit.  Following  the  completion  of  this 
work,  four  large  parties  of  officers  were  taken  to  the 
Meuse-Argonne  battlefields.  The  undersigned  accompanied 
the  detachments  from  the  Infantry  Eegiments  and  joined 
in  the  careful  study  of  the  terrain  which  followed.  More 
than  two  weeks  were  spent  in  rechecking  the  ground  covered 
by  the  Division  in  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive.  One  Com- 
pany officer  was  present  from  nearly  every  Infantry  Com- 
pany in  the  Division.  Consequently,  this  published  record 
has  been  authenticated  by  the  men  who  led  the  front  waves 
of  the  attack  as  well  a^  by  higher  Commanders  with  a  wider 
grasp  of  the  general  situation.    Many  of  our  impressions 

iii 

470143 


iv  PREFACE 

gained  during  the  great  offensive  were  modified  by  this 
study. 

Since  completing  this  story  of  operations  the  manu- 
script has  been  carefully  examined  and  approved  in  each 
detail  by  Colonel  Gordon  Johnston,  Chief  of  Staff,  82nd 
Division  during  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive.  Colonel 
Walter  "Whitman,  Commanding  the  325th  Infantry,  and 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Moore,  Division  Machine  Gun  Officer. 
In  addition  the  following  officers  have  examined  and  ap- 
proved the  story  of  the  Meuse-Argonne  operations  covering 
the  period  September  25,  1918  to  October  15,  1918. 

Colonel  John  K.  Miller,  326th  Inf. 
Colonel  Richard  Wetherill,  328th  Inf. 
Major  Edgar  G.  Cooper,  319th  M.  G.  Bn. 
Major  Olin  G.  Shivers,  320th  M.  G.  Bn. 
Major  FoNviLLE  McWhorter,  321st  M.  G.  Bn. 
Captain  James  W.  Morris,  326th  Inf. 
Captain  Bonnie  Huff,  326th  Inf. 
Captain  F.  Drew,  327th  Inf. 
Captain  Henry  E.  Hackney,  327th  Inf. 

Weekly  historical  conferences  were  held  by  General 
Duncan  at  Division  Headquarters  from  December,  1918, 
until  the  middle  of  April,  1919.  All  Brigade,  Eegimental 
and  Battalion  Commanders  were  present  at  these  meet- 
ings. Many  company  officers  were  invited  before  the  con- 
ferences whenever  further  evidence  was  required.  These 
discussions  covered  every  phase  of  our  operations.  All  of 
this  preliminary  investigation  was  completed  before  the 
undersigned  attempted  to  write  the  Division  History. 

The  several  contributed  chapters  were  carefully  prepared 
by  the  officers  whose  names  appear  at  the  head  of  such 
chapters. 

The  statistical  Appendixes  were  prepared  from  original 


PREFACE  X 

poiirees  by   Sergeant-Major  J.   B.   Kass,   with  some  as- 
sistance from  the  office  of  the  Division  Adjutant. 

Several  members  of  the  Division  have  received  citations 
and  decorations  since  the  Division  was  demobilized.  To 
this  extent  the  record  is  incomplete.  Many  Appendixes 
have  been  omitted  because  the  funds  subscribed  were  in- 
sufficient to  authorize  a  larger  publication. 

(Signed)        G.  Edward  Buxton,  Jr., 
Lieut.  Colonel,  Infantry,  82nd  Division^ 
Providence, 
Bhode  Island. 


FOREWORD 
THE  DIGNITY  OF  THEIR  DESTINY 

The  82nd  Division  has  passed  into  history.  It  has  been 
mustered  into  the  army  of  tradition.  The  emsaders  of 
the  Middle  Ages  died  to  gain  possession  of  an  empty  tomb. 
Yesterday's  crusade  was  fought  to  preserve  a  living  fire — 
the  spirit  of  liberty. 

The  82nd  Division  gave  itself  freely  for  this  purpose. 
It  played  its  part  in  the  forward  line  and  knew  the  privi- 
lege of  deadly  peril. 

The  men  who  came  home  are  conscious  of  a  very 
great  bond  of  comradeship.  The  ties  between  men  who 
have  endured  hardship  and  battles  together  are  not  easily 
expressed  in  words. 

We  are  glad  that  the  82nd  Division  contained  men  of 
every  blood  strain  in  all  the  races  that  make  up  our  nation. 
This  Division  has  learned  that  an  American  is  one  who 
is  willing  to  give  his  life  for  America. 

We  are  glad  that  we  came  from  every  section  of  the 
United  States.  We  can  not  feel  prejudices  against  states 
that  reared  our  battle  brothers.  Together  we  have  blotted 
out  the  last  mental  reservations  born  of  the  bitterness  of 
'61.  Across  the  memories  of  those  years  our  hands  have 
met  in  something  lasting. 

This  Division  has  no  illusions  concerning  war.  The 
glamour  of  peace-time  pageantry  does  not  fill  the  mind 
pf  the  veteran.     He  has  learned  that  battles  are  won  by 

vi 


FOREWORD  vii 

terribly  tired  men.     His  worst  enemies  were  thirst,  filth, 
cold  and  utter  weariness. 

An  offensive  suggests  an  endless  movement  of  sleepless 
men  and  animals  through  countless  black  nights  of  rain 
and  mud.  It  transforms  dawn  and  dusk  into  a  monstrous 
nightmare  of  waiting  for  some  new  horror.  It  makes  the 
clean  beds  of  hospitals  seem  havens  of  ease  and  peace. 

But  the  veteran  also  believes  that  life  without  liberty 
is  more  hateful  than  war.  He  still  prefers  battle  to  the 
loss  of  country  or  the  betrayal  of  human  institutions  which 
carry  the  hopes  of  men. 

Most  of  all  we  share  the  memory  of  those  who  did 
not  come  home.  These  fallen  friends  are  scattered  on  all 
the  fronts  we  held,  but  most  of  them  sleep  in  the  valley 
of  the  Aire,  bordering  the  Argonne  Forest.  The  battalions 
have  sent  their  representatives  to  visit  each  wooden  cross. 
The  memorial  services  are  over. 

These  men  we  left  in  France  died  very  young,  but  we 
have  pondered  the  words  of  our  chaplains,  who  told  us 
that  old  age  does  not  consist  of  the  number  of  our  days 
nor  do  gray  hairs  constitute  understanding.  We  have  had  a 
vision  of  generations  of  French  children  who  will  visit  the 
headstones  and  memorize  the  names  of  those  who  are  forever 
the  symbol  of  friendship  between  the  two  republics. 

The  Division  misses  the  old  comrades  but  marvels  at  the 
dignity  of  their  destiny. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

I.  Camp  Gobdon  to  Feance 1 

II.  The  Somme  and  Lagny  Sectoes 11 

III.  Maebache  Sectoe  and  St.  Mihiel  Offensive 17 

IV.  Eaely  Days  of  Meuse-Aegonne  Offensive 30 

V.  Peepaeing  foe  the  Attack 38 

VI.  164th  Infantey  Beigade  Jumps  Off     50 

VII.  Coenay  and  Champeochee  Ridge 65 

VIII.  163ed  Infantey  Beigade  Entees  Fight 73 

I  IX.   ASTEIDE    THE    AlEE    RlVEE 84 

X.  The  Sommeeance-St.  Juvin  Road 97 

XI.  The  Maecq  Beidgehead 109 

XII.  Clinging  to  the  Sommebance  Ridge 120 

XIII.  Into  the  Keiemhilde-Stellung 134 

XIV.  The  Taking  of  St.  Juvin 151 

XV.  The  St.  Geoeges  Road  and  Hill  182 158 

XVI.  Deepening  the   Salient 174 

XVII.  Champigneulle  and  Extension  of  Left  Flank 187 

XVIII.  A  Thin  Line's  Point  of  Honoe 203 

XIX.  Afteb  the  Fighting 214 


SUPPLEMENTARY   MATERIAL 

I.  Life  of  Geneeal  Duncan 223 

II.  The  Aetilleey  of  the  82nd  Division 225 

III.  Administeative  and  Supply  Functions 246 

IV.  307th  Engineee  Regiment 258 

V.  The  Medical  Department 264 

VI.  Adjutant  Geneeal's  Depaetment 271 

VII.  307th  Field  Signal  Battalion 274 

VIII.  Complimentary  Lettees,  Etc 289 

IX.   MiLITAEY   SeEVICE  OF  WiLLIAM  P.  BUENHAM 294 

X.   CeITIQUE  OF  THE  FiGHTING  ChAEACTEEISTICS 295 

XI.  Secbet    Oedees 302 

XII.  Decoeations,  Peisonebs  Taken,  Matebial  Captueed  . . .  309 


Official  History  of  82nd  Division  A.  E.  F. 


CHAPTER  I 
CAMP  GORDON  TO  FRANCE 

August  25,  1917 — ^December  1,  1918 

The  82nd  Division  was  assembled,  beginning  August  25, 
1917,  at  Camp  Gordon,  fourteen  miles  from  Atlanta,  Ga., 
under  the  command  of  Major  General  Eben  Swift,  N.  A. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Preston  Brown  was  Chief  of  Staff. 
Over  one-third  of  the  majors  and  all  higher  officers  were 
from  the  Regular  Army.  With  a  few  exceptions  the  re- 
maining officers  were  graduates  of  the  First  Officers' 
Training  Camp  at  Fort  McPherson  and  came  from  Ala- 
bama, Florida  and  Georgia. 

After  a  week  spent  in  organizing  the  officers,  the  Divi- 
Bion  received  by  increments  the  first  drafted  personnel  from 
Alabama,  Georgia  and  Tennessee,  together  with  a  small 
training  cadre  of  non-commissioned  officers,  mostly  from 
the  6th  and  17th  Infantry  Regiments. 

The  progress  made  toward  discipline  and  morale  during 
the  first  six  weeks  was  interrupted  by  a  War  Department 
order  which  transferred  the  entire  enlisted  personnel,  less 
training  cadre  of  783  men,  to  several  Southern  National 
Cruard  units,  some  of  which  were  in  the  31st  Division.  The 
officers  of  the  82nd  Division  will  not  soon  forget  the  regret 


2  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

with  which  they  saw  these  men  depart.  The  men  them- 
selves unanimously  wished  to  remain  with  their  regiments. 
A  real  unit  consciousness  had  been  created  during  the  days 
past  and  every  one  felt  that  infanticide  was  being  com- 
mitted upon  newly  bom  regiments.  Immediately  there- 
after, the  Division  received  a  continuous  flood  of  replace- 
ments from  Camps  Devens,  Dix,  Upton,  Lee  and  Meade, 
until  by  November  1,  1917,  approximately  28,000  men  had 
entered  Camp  Gordon,  including  the  handful  of  troops 
assigned  to  the  157th  Depot  Brigade.  In  a  few  weeks'  time 
regimental  esprit  was  again  developed. 

A  considerable  number,  approximately  twenty  per  cent., 
of  these  men  were  of  foreign  birth,  and  several  hundred 
were  not  citizens  of  the  United  States.  Training  was 
seriously  handicapped  by  a  substantial  percentage  of  men 
who  were  unable  to  read  and  write  English.  There  were 
those  who  could  neither  speak  nor  understand  the  common 
tongue. 

The  perplexities  of  the  problem  were  increased  by  the 
fact  that  some  of  these  aliens  were  of  enemy  origin. 
Furthermore,  the  average  American  was  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish between  the  German  or  Austrian  Pole  and  the 
Russian  Pole,  the  Czecho-Slovak  or  Jugo-Slav  and  men 
of  the  same  race  from  Russia  or  Serbia.  If  the  soldier  was 
a  Greek,  he  might  be  a  partisan  of  King  Constantine  or 
of  M.  Venizelos.  If  an  oriental-appearing  soldier  claimed 
to  be  an  Armenian,  he  was  possibly  a  Turk.  Hence,  every 
opportunity  existed  for  enemy  espionage  within  the  Divi- 
sion, and  acts  of  sabotage  seemed  a  reasonable  possibility 
to  the  Camp  authorities. 

This  confusion  of  races  and  speech  was  eventually  modi- 
fied by  the  elimination  of  confessed  enemy  aliens,  the 
transfer  to  the  Depot  Brigade  of  suspicious  cases,  the 
institution  of  English  language  schools  throughout  the 
Division  under  a  Committee  of  Education,  and  an  influx 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  3 

in  March,  1918,  of  5000  replacements  from  Camps  Dodge, 
Travis,  Devens,  Gordon,  Upton  and  second  draft  men  from 
Alabama,  Georgia  and  Tennessee.  Over  1,400  alien  enemies 
were  discharged  by  "War  Department  order. 

The  occupational  classification  of  the  Division's  per- 
sonnel resulted  in  the  withdrawal  of  3,000  specialists  trans- 
ferred by  "War  Department  order.  The  loss  of  these 
intelligent  men,  after  three  months  of  arduous  training, 
was  keenly  felt.  The  Division  believed  that  the  War  De- 
partment had  overlooked  one  important  consideration. 
Although  the  soldier  might  be  a  very  good  plumber,  lumber- 
man, blacksmith  or  structural  iron  worker,  a  great  deal 
of  Government  time  and  money  had  been  expended  in 
making  him  an  even  more  valuable  specialist  in  his  present 
occupation:  namely,  that  of  a  non-commissioned  officer, 
bayonet  instructor,  hand-grenade  expert  or  machine  gunner. 

The  training  program  so  far  outstripped  available  equip- 
ment that  regiments  were  soon  turned  out  for  drills  and 
ceremonies  with  wooden  guns  minus  all  other  ordnance 
property.  After  a  few  weeks,  the  1917  Eddystone  rifle 
was  issued  without  we#b  equipment  and  much  energy  was 
concentrated  on  preliminary  training  for  service  practice 
at  the  Divisional  Rifle  Range  in  Norcross,  Ga. 

Two  features  of  the  early  training  during  General  Swift's 
command  will  always  be  remembered  by  the  troops:  the 
emphasis  upon  road  marching  and  organization  singing. 

On  November  24,  1917,  General  Swift  was  ordered 
overseas  and  Brigadier  General  James  B.  Erwin  assumed 
command  of  the  Division.  Major  Roy  den  E.  Beebe  was 
appointed  Chief  of  Staff.  General  Erwin  was  transferred 
to  a  command  at  Chickamauga  Park  on  December  26,  1917, 
and  Brigadier  General  William  P.  Bumham  succeeded. 
General  Bumham  received  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
major  general,  April  12,  1918. 

During  the  first  three  months  of  1918,  the  Division  was 


4  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

indebted  to  a  small  group  of  French,  and  English  officers 
who  worked  with,  the  special  units  and  supervised  the  first 
training  in  offensive  tactics  and  trench  warfare  as  then 
conducted  by  the  belligerents. 

The  training  of  specialists  in  the  United  States  was  neces- 
sarily of  a  theoretical  character.  The  Divisional  Auto- 
matic Eifle  School  possessed  about  a  dozen  Chauchot  rifles ; 
the  regiments  had  none.  Colt  machine  guns  were  issued 
to  machine  gun  companies,  although  this  weapon  was  never 
to  be  used  in  battle.  The  Stokes  Mortar  platoons  never 
saw  a  3-inch.  Stokes  Mortar  while  in  the  United  States,  and 
the  37-mm.  gun  platoons  possessed  collectively  one  of  these 
weapons  during  the  last  two  or  three  weeks  of  their  stay 
at  Camp  Gordon.  A  limited  number  of  offensive  and  de- 
fensive hand  grenades  were  obtained  and  thrown  by  se- 
lected officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  at  the  Division 
Grenade  School.  The  men  of  one  regiment  witnessed  a 
demonstration  in  which  four  rifle  grenades  were  fired. 
Everybody  was  required  to  walk  once  through  a  gas  house 
and  remove  his  mask  to  sniff  the  fumes  of  a  light  concen- 
tration of  chlorine  gas  and  endure  a  mild  attack  of 
lachrymose  gas.  The  artillery  obtained  one  battery  of 
American  3-inch  guns  in  November,  1917,  and  another  in 
February,  1918,  and  fired  several  thousand  rounds  at  the 
artillery  range  in  Marietta,  Ga.  Marked  progress  was 
made,  however,  in  discipline,  morale,  musketry,  bayonet 
fighting  and  the  normal  extended  order  and  security  for- 
mations prescribed  by  American  regulations  and  practice. 

The  Division  Sails. 

The  several  camps  were  inspected  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment in  February  and  March,  and  the  report  upon  the 
82nd  Division  was  sufficiently  favorable  to  make  it  the 
second  National  Army  Division  to  leave  the  United  States, 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  5 

and  the  eighth  in  order  of  combat  Divisions  going  overseas. 
Division  Headquarters  left  Camp  Gordon,  Ga.,  April  10, 
1918,  proceeding  to  Camp  Upton,  N.  Y.,  the  point  selected 
for  mobilization  and  embarkation.  The  infantry  and  ma- 
chine gun  units  entrained  for  Camp  Upton  at  the  rate  of 
two  battalions  per  day.  Division  Headquarters  sailed  from 
New  York  City,  N.  Y.,  on  April  25,  1918,  and  the  last 
infantry  and  machine  gun  units  followed  on  May  3,  1918* 
These  elements  of  the  Division  arrived  consecutively  in 
Liverpool  during  the  period  May  7-17, 1918,  and  proceeded 
by  battalions  after  short  halts  in  various  English  rest 
camps  to  embark  at  Southampton,  England,  for  Le  Havre, 
France. 

The  325th  Infantry,  however,  passed  through  London 
en  route  and  was  reviewed  by  the  King  of  England  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  London  crowd.  This  visit  of  the  325th 
Infantry  is  of  especial  historical  significance  because  it 
offered  the  English  their  first  glimpse  of  the  American  New 
Army.  It  is,  therefore,  most  interesting  to  preserve  here 
at  length  the  picturesque  comment  of  the  London  Times. 

**The  war  has  given  London  many  scenes — some  gay, 
some  grave — but  few  have  surpassed  yesterday's,  when 
three  thousand  soldiers  of  Eepubliean  America  marched 
through  the  capital  to  parade  before  the  Sovereign  Euler 
of  the  British  Empire. 

* '  In  brilliant  sunshine  between  serried  ranks  of  cheering 
citizens,  these  sturdy  sons  of  the  New  World  tramped  to 
the  throbbing  call  of  the  drums.  Very  workmanlike  they 
looked  carrying  their  full  kit;  very  happy  they  looked  as 
they  took  the  salute  of  their  own  Ambassador  in  Grosvenor 
Square;  very  proud  they  were  as  they  marched  past  the 
great  white  statue  of  Queen  Victoria  and  saw  the  King  of 
England  raise  his  hand  to  the  Star-spangled  Banner  that 
symbolized  their  homeland. 

"It  was  a  wonderful  sight,  that  visible  union  of  the  two 
great  English-speaking  races.  The  King  and  his  Queen 
with  their  Court  stood  at  the  Palace  Gates;  their  subjects 


6  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

swarmed  on  every  vantage  point  and  elieered;  and  the 
soldiers  of  England  and  America  marched  past,  each  with 
their  racial  characteristics,  each  united  by  one  common 
aim,  all  impelled  by  the  call  of  the  drum. 

The  First  Greeting. 

**From  early  morning  Londoners  had  waited  to  pay 
homage  to  the  men  from  across  the  ocean,  the  'Sammies* 
as  they  familiarly  called  them — a  name,  by  the  way,  which, 
if  I  remember  rightly,  was  £rst  suggested  by  Mr.  Paul 
Derrick  in  The  Sunday  Times.  The  first  contingent  arrived 
at  Waterloo  Station  shortly  before  eight  o'clock,  and  by 
half-past  nine  the  York  Road  approach  was  dense  with  a 
cheering  crowd  that  gave  the  men  their  first  intimation  of 
the  warmth  of  greeting  that  awaited  them. 

*'With  an  admiring  escort  of  civilians  they  swung  down 
the  road  to  Wellington  Barracks,  where,  with  the  cama- 
raderie that  seems  to  be  the  birthright  of  the  fighter,  they 
were  soon  in  laughing  converse  with  British  Tommies, 
many  of  whom  were  present  wearing  hospital  blue.  It  was 
strange  to  stand  in  Birdcage  Walk  and  see,  behind  the  rail- 
ings, not  the  familiar  scarlet  of  the  Guards  of  pre-war 
days,  not  the  flat-topped  cap  and  close-belted  khaki  dress 
of  war-time,  but  the  somewhat  exotic-looking  head-dress 
and  canvas  leggings  that  one  had  usually  seen  before  only 
on  the  film. 

**Tall  they  were,  clean-shaven  almost  to  a  man ;  and  their 
speech  betrayed  them.  Yet  even  among  themselves  it  was 
not  difficult  to  pick  out  the  slow  Southern  drawl  from  the 
clipped  speech  of  the  Yankee,  while  the  distinctive  profile 
of  the  North  American  Indian  was  the  hall-mark  of  many 
faces. 

''Every  State  in  the  Union  had  its  representative,  for 
these  were  not  men  of  the  Regular  Army,  such  as  had  'come 
across'  twelve  months  ago  with  General  Pershing:  they 
were  the  vanguard  of  the  New  Army,  that  almost  number- 
less force  which  America  is  raising  to  crush  for  ever  the 
evil  spirit  of  Prussian  militarism. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 


The  Heart  op  London. 

*' Suddenly,  as  we  stood  chatting,  exchanging  ideas  and 
the  inevitable  souvenirs,  the  bugle  called  out,  shrill  and 
clear,  'Attention.'  A  few  moments  of  waiting  as  the  bands 
took  up  position — the  Americans'  own  band  at  the  head 
of  the  long  column,  the  drums  and  pipes  of  the  Scots 
Guards  to  lead  the  second  battalion,  the  band  of  the  Irish 
Guards  and  the  drums  and  fifes  of  the  Grenadiers  with  the 
third  battalion — and  then  the  procession  swept  through  the 
gates  to  the  long  rolling  accompaniment  of  deep-throated 
British  cheers. 

''London  in  springtime,  especially  in  the  Park,  is  very 
beautiful;  and  so  thought  many  of  our  visitors  yesterday, 
judging  by  their  faces  as  they  gazed  from  the  enthusiastic 
spectators  to  the  cloud-flecked  blue  sky,  the  tender  green- 
ery of  the  trees,  the  lilacs  and  bluebells  and  nodding  nar- 
cissi. So  they  marched  to  the  Horse  Guards,  past  the 
Salamanca  Gun  beneath  the  historic  window  whence  an 
English  King  stepped  to  the  scaffold,  and  on  to  the  War 
Office. 

"Here  the  crowd  was  even  more  dense  and  more  enthu- 
siastic, for  on  the  balcony  stood  England's  Prime  Minister, 
Mr.  Balfour,  Mr.  Bonar  Law,  Sir  Eric  Geddes,  Sir  Rosslyn 
Wemyss,  and  other  famous  men;  and  above  their  heads 
fluttered  '  Old  Glory. '  Thence  through  Clubland  and  Picca- 
dilly, and  on  to  the  one  bit  of  American  soil  in  London — 
the  Embassy  in  Grosvenor  Gardens. 

A  Veteran's  Pride. 

''Here  stood  Dr.  Page,  hat  in  hand,  with  Vice- Admiral 
Sims  on  the  one  side,  and  General  Slocum  on  the  other. 
'  Eyes  Right ! '  ran  the  order  down  the  files ;  and  the  strains 
of  'John  Brown's  Body'  were  well-nigh  drowned  in  the 
roar  of  cheers  that  seemed  never-ending.  One  little  inci- 
dent here  was  worth  much  to  a  handful  of  old  men  who 
marched  gallantly  beneath  a  banner  inscribed:  'Not  for 
ourselves,  but  for  our  Country.'  They  were  veterans  of 
the  Civil  "War,  and  as  they  came  abreast  of  the  trio  on 
the  Embassy  steps,  all  America,  as  symbolized  by  those 
three  men,  paid  them  homage. 


8  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

**And  the  white-haired  veteran  of  veterans,  who  brought 
up  the  rear,  pluckily  marching  on  by  sheer  will  power,  put 
new  vigour  into  his  step  and  carried  his  miniature  Stars 
and  Stripes  even  more  proudly. 

*'As  the  column  neared  the  Palace  the  crowd  grew 
thicker.  Army  khaki,  Naval  serge,  hospital  blue  and  civil- 
ian drab,  all  mingled  with  light  and  airy  feminine  frocks, 
and  cheered  the  marching  men. 

*'The  Victoria  Memorial  was  surrounded  many  ranks 
deep  with  a  loyal  throng  that  waited  patiently  for  the 
coming  of  the  King.  At  first  they  feared  he  would  watch 
the  parade  from  inside  the  forecourt,  but  shortly  before 
the  Americans  were  due  a  Guard  of  Honour  of  the  Gren- 
adiers, accompanied  by  the  band,  and  carrying  the  Colours, 
took  up  a  position  facing  the  main  gates. 


The  Royal  Party. 

*'And  then  the  King  was  seen,  walking  across  the  fore- 
court and  accompanied  by  Queen  Mary  and  the  Queen 
Mother.  His  Majesty  wore  Field-Marshal's  uniform,  as 
did  the  Duke  of  Connaught.  There  were  also  present  in 
the  Royal  Party  Princess  Beatrice,  Prince  Arthur  of  Con- 
naught  in  military  uniform,  Princess  Arthur  of  Con- 
naught,  the  little  son  of  the  Prince  and  Princess,  and  the 
various  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  respective  suites. 

''These  included  Countess  Fortescue,  Sir  Charles  Cust, 
R.  N.,  Sir  Derek  Keppel,  Mr.  Charles  Fitzwilliam,  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke,  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Francis  Lloyd, 
Commanding  the  London  District,  Sir  Arthur  Davidson, 
Sir  Henry  Streatfield,  the  Hon.  Henry  Stonor,  the  Hon. 
Charlotte  KnoUys,  General  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Dighton 
Probyn,  V.  C,  and  Sir  Malcolm  Murray. 

*'As  they  waited  for  the  parade  the  King  chatted  ani- 
matedly with  General  John  Biddle,  in  command  of  the 
American  troops,  who  presented  to  him  a  number  of  staff 
officers. 

**A  number  of  specially  invited  guests  were  present  also. 
These  included  Lord  Francis  Scott  (a  wounded  officer), 
Lord  Wimborne  (who  had  just  previously  been  received 
by  the  King  on  surrendering  the  office  of  Lord  Lieutenant 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  9 

of  Ireland),  representatives  of  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  and 
a  number  of  wounded  officers. 

**Tlie  steady  roll  of  distant  cheering  grew  louder,  and 
soon  the  head  of  the  column  was  seen  approaching.  The 
gates  of  the  forecourt  were  thrown  open,  and,  to  the  frantic 
delight  of  the  hundreds  of  fortunate  spectators  in  the 
vicinity,  the  King  and  Queen  and  their  entourage  stepped 
out  into  the  roadway  to  greet  the  American  contingent. 

Symbol  'df  Unity. 

''With  a  Swing  and  a  elasTi  and  a  roar  of  cheering  they 
marched  up,  steadily  tramping  onwards,  the  manhood  of 
the  free  Republic  saluting  the  ruler  of  the  free  Empire 
and  receiving  in  return  the  salute  of  the  King  and  Em- 
peror. Londoners  have  witnessed  many  pageants  on  this 
historic  spot;  they  have  watched  the  incomings  and  out- 
goings of  foreign  sovereigns,  the  gorgeous  pageants  of 
crownings,  and  the  stately  trappings  of  death ;  but  yester- 
day's  setting  was  something  even  greater  than  these.  It 
was  a  symbol  of  unity,  of  the  final  healing  of  an  old  and 
well-nigh  forgotten  wound. 

*'And  that  instinctive  courtesy  which  is  ever  present 
with  English  Royalty  was  noticeable  as  the  King  beckoned 
Colonel  Whitman,  commanding  the  regiment,  to  break 
away  from  the  column  and  take  up  his  position  beside  him 
while  his  men  marched  past. 

King  and  Officers. 

*'As  the  Commanding  Officer  of  each  battalion  reached 
the  saluting  point,  he,  too,  broke  away,  and  was  presented 
to  the  King,  who  shook  hands  with  each  of  them.  They 
were  Lieutenant- Colonel  Wagner,  Major  Peirce,  Major 
Hawkins  and  Captain  Battey.  The  Americans  marched 
somewhat  more  stiffly  than  our  own  lads,  but  exceedingly 
well,  and  made  not  only  a  very  excellent  show,  but  a  very 
good  impression  on  all  observers. 

**The  King  warmly  complimented  General  Biddle  and 
Colonel  Whitman  on  the  general  bearing  of  the  troops  and 
told  them  how  very  pleased  he  was  to  see  so  fine  a  sample 
of  the  forces  which  America  is  sending  to  aid  the  Allied 
cause. 


10  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

"And  so  the  Americans  saw  the  King.  As  they  marched 
back  to  barracks  they  were  full  of  the  glamour  of  it  all. 
Officers  and  men  alike  were  delighted  with  the  cordiality 
of  their  reception  and  spoke  enthusiastically  of  the  Lon- 
doners who  had  received  them  so  handsomely. 

*'Nor  was  it  only  Londoners  that  greeted  their  American 
cousins  in  the  presence  of  their  King.  Men  from  almost 
every  part  of  the  Empire  were  there,  and  representatives 
of  all  the  Allies.  One  saw  the  slouch  hat  of  the  Australian 
and  the  'Baden-Powel'  of  the  New  Zealander,  the  gorgeous 
turban  of  an  Indian  officer  and  the  Kepi  of  a  French  in- 
fantryman ;  the  tasselled  cap  of  a  Belgian,  and  the  flowing 
cape  of  an  Italian.  And,  gorgeous  in  their  scarlet  and 
gold,  with  bayonets  glinting  in  the  sunlight,  their  imperish- 
able colours  drooping  in  the  still  air,  the  Guard  of  Honour 
of  the  Grenadier  Guards  reminded  us  of  the  pageants  that 
were  in  the  days  before  the  war. 

''Thus  England  greeted  America.  And  America,  real- 
izing more  than  ever  the  meaning  of  cousinship,  will  send 
TociEiny  more  such  troops  as  those  we  saw  yesterday,  to  fight 
for  freedom  and  justice,  and  peace — ^the  trinity  that  holds 
them  fast  for  evermore." 

King  George's  Letter  op  Welcome  to  American  Troops. 

''Soldiers  of  the  United  States,  the  people  of  the  British 
Isles  welcome  you  on  your  way  to  take  your  stand  beside 
the  Armies  of  many  nations  now  fighting  in  the  Old  World 
the  great  battle  for  human  freedom. 

''The  Allies  will  gain  new  heart  and  spirit  in  your 
company. 

"I  wish  that  I  could  shake  the  hand  of  each  one  of  you 
and  bid  you  God  speed  on  your  mission. 

George  R.  I. 

''April,  1918;" 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  SOMME  AND  LAGNY  SECTORS 

Division  Headquarters  opened  in  Escarbotin,  Somme, 
France,^  on  May  16th.  The  troops  were  held  at  Le  Havre 
only  long  enough  to  exchange  U.  S.  1917  rifles  for  Brit- 
ish rifles  and  receive  helmets  and  gas  masks,  when  they 
proceeded  by  rail  to  the  British  training  area  adjoining 
Escarbotin.  All  units  were  billeted  over  a  considerable 
area,  comprising  numerous  villages  west  of  Abbeville.  Our 
troops  started  upon  an  intensive  program  of  training 
under  the  supervision  of  the  66th  British  Division,  Major 
General  Bethel,  commanding.  The  Infantry  was  com- 
pletely equipped  with  Lewis  automatic  rifles  and  the 
machine  gun  units  with  Vickers  machine  guns.  The  37- 
mm.  and  3-inch  Stokes  Mortar  platoons  received  their 
weapons  and  other  materiel.  English  horse-transport  was 
issued  to  all  battalions. 

'Other  American  Divisions  swiftly  followed  to  the  various 
training  areas  behind  the  British  front,  until  ten  American 
Divisions  were  assembled  in  British  support. 

Hard  training  followed  for  all  units  of  our  Division. 
Many  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  attended 
schools.  A  British  demonstration  platoon  illustrated  the 
British  idea  of  bayonet  fighting,  the  attack,  ceremonies, 
close  order  drill  and  physical  training  games.  The  coun- 
tryside echoed  savage  shouts  of  ''In — Out — On  Guard!'' 
Our  troops  assimilated  those  features  which  appealed  to 

11 


18  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

them,  especially  the  games  and  method  of  bayonet  fighting, 
and  applied  themselves  to  mastering  the  Lee-Enfield  rifle, 
the  Lewis  automatic  rifle  and  the  Vickers  machine  gun. 

On  May  28,  1918,  the  Division  was  inspected  by  Field 
Marshal  Sir  Douglas  Haig,  who  talked  at  length  with  many 
company  commanders  and  concluded  with  an  inspection 
of  company  kitchens. 

On  May  30,  1918,  the  Division  was  informally  inspected 
by  General  John  J.  Pershing,  and  the  troops  were  required 
to  demonstrate  various  features  of  their  training  schedule. 

The  battalions  were  moved  each  week  to  a  different  town 
in  the  area  to  afford  practice  in  road  marches  and  to  test 
the  possibilities  of  their  new  transport. 

Early  in  June,  details  of  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  were  guests  of  British  front-line  units  in  the  new 
trenches  before  Albert  and  Amiens,  where  the  lines  were 
becoming  newly  stabilized  after  the  upheaval  which  fol- 
lowed the  successful  enemy  offensive  of  March  21,  1918. 
It  was  during  one  of  these  tours  of  duty  that  Captain 
Jewett  "Williams,  326th  Infantry,  was  killed,  June  9,  1918, 
the  first  casualty  in  action  from  the  82nd  Division.  It 
was  generally  assumed  by  both  British  and  American  of- 
ficers that  the  American  battalions  were  to  be  attached 
immediately  to  British  brigades  and  share  the  honors  and 
burdens  of  redeeming  the  lost  battlefields  of  Picardy.  This 
assumption  was  suddenly  overturned  by  an  order  entrain- 
ing the  Division  for  destination  near  Toul.  The  Lee-En- 
field rifles,  to  which  the  troops  had  just  become  accustomed, 
and  the  Lewis  automatic  rifles  and  Vickers  machine  guns 
were  turned  back  to  the  British,  and  the  U.  S.  1917  Eifle 
(Bddystone)  was  reissued.  The  train  movement  began 
JTune  16,  1918,  and  lasted  two  full  days.  The  Division 
occupied  towns  and  villages  north  of  Toul,  and  once  again 
addressed  itself  to  the  task  of  obtaining  and  mastering 
new  weapons. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  13 

The  Infantry  received  Chauchot  automatic  rifles,  and 
machine  gun  companies  were  equipped  with  the  French 
8-mm.  Hotchkiss  machine  guns.  At  this  time  all  units 
of  the  Division,  except  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade, 
joined  the  Command.  The  artillery,  however,  remained  in 
training  at  La  Courtine,  France. 

Face  to  Face  with  the  German. 

Orders  were  received  to  relieve  the  26th  U.  S.  Divi- 
sion, then  occupying  that  part  of  the  Woevre  front  known 
as  the  Lagny  Sector.  Reconnaissance  was  made  by  the 
battalion  and  company  commanders  of  the  battalions  se- 
lected to  be  the  first  in  contact  with  the  enemy.  These 
units  were  the  2nd  Battalion,  325th  Infantry  (Major  Haw- 
kins), 1st  BattaUon,  326th  Infantry  (Major  Wells),  3rd 
Battalion,  327th  Infantry  (Major  Hill),  and  2nd  Battalion, 
328th  Infantry  (Major  Buxton).  One  battalion  from  each 
of  the  four  Infantry  regiments  was  to  occupy  the  front 
lines  or  outpost  zone,  with  one  battalion  each  in  support 
and  the  third  battalions  in  reserve.  Relief  began  on  the 
night  of  June  25,  1918.  All  the  machine  gunners  of  the 
Division,  together  with  selected  Chauchot  riflemen  and  the 
37  mm.  platoons,  were  temporarily  detached  from  the 
Division  and  sent  to  Automatic  Arms  school  at  Bois 
L^Evecque  between  Toul  and  Nancy.  Here  they  received 
a  course  of  training  from  French  officers.  The  regimental 
machine  gun  companies  joined  the  front-line  infantry  bat- 
talions on  July  5,  1918,  and  the  machine  gun  battalions 
on  July  14,  1918.  The  positions  of  the  artillery  of  the 
26th  Division  were  taken  over  by  French  Artillery,  and 
a  limited  number  of  French  machine  guns  joined  the  front- 
line battalions. 

The  Division  held  the  left  flank  &l  the  French  32nd 
Corps,  French  VIII  Army.     The  left  battalion   (328th) 


14  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

of  the  Division  was  in  liaison  with  the  right  battalion  of 
the  French  II  Army.  The  American  unit  at  once  dis- 
covered that  while  the  outpost  battalions  of  the  VIII  Army- 
were  ordered  to  hold  in  case  of  attack  until  the  last  man, 
the  outpost  battalions  of  the  II  Army  were  to  withdraw 
into  the  zone  of  resistance  a  depth  of  about  five  kilometers. 
This  fact  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  VIII  Army 
and  resulted  in  a  correspondence  between  the  VIII  and 
II  Army  that  was  still  active  when  the  82nd  Division  left 
the  sector  six  weeks  later. 

During  the  days  and  nights  of  life  in  the  Lagny  Sector, 
the  intensive  military  education  of  the  Division  progressed 
in  marked  fashion  and  the  men  soon  accustomed  themselves 
to  the  details  of  existence  in  trench  warfare.  Patrolling 
from  the  outset  was  conducted  in  an  aggressive  manner 
and  the  Division  not  only  maintained  an  ownership  of 
No  Man's  Land,  but  penetrated  deeply  into  the  enemy's 
positions  on  numerous  occasions.  Several  of  these  forays 
without  artillery  help  resulted  in  collisions,  during  the 
course  of  which  numerous  casualties  were  inflicted  upon 
the  enemy,  and  some  losses  suffered  in  return. 

The  battalions  in  support  and  reserve  were  able  to  ac- 
complish some  important  training  work  with  automatic 
rifles,  rifle  and  hand  grenades,  and  finally  to  hold  exercises 
in  the  combined  use  of  all  infantry  weapons  on  a  firing 
range. 

Contemplated  maneuvers  were  prevented  by  orders  from 
the  VIII  French  Army,  requiring  the  82nd  Division  to 
construct  an  entirely  new  defensive  system  of  trenches, 
especially  in  the  zone  of  resistance.  The  outpost  battalions 
were  compelled  to  cover  battalion  fronts  extending  from 
4000  to  5500  meters.  This  was  done  by  arranging  combat 
groups  echeloned  in  diamond  formation.  The  support  and 
reserve  battalions  were  also  echeloned  in  great  depth.  Con- 
crete pill  boxes  were  constructed,  new  camouflage  erected, 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  15 

roads  built  to  the  front  and  additional  bands  of  wiring 
provided.  The^Division  was  cautioned  to  be  ready  to  repulse 
a  serious  attack,  and  working  parties  consisting  of  entire 
reserve  battalions  worked  nightly  in  a  vain  endeavor  to 
have  all  complete  on  August  5,  1918,  the  date  set  by  the 
VIII  Army. 

On  August  4,  1918,  Companies  K  and  M,  326th  Infantry 
(Major  Watkins),  conducted  a  trench  raid  with  artillery 
assistance  against  a  section  of  the  German  position  imme- 
diately in  front  of  that  regiment.  The  officers  and  men 
had  been  carefully  trained  for  this  operation  by  French 
officers,  upon  similar  works  erected  in  a  rear  area.  The 
raiding  personnel  performed  this  enterprise  in  very  com- 
mendable fashion,  penetrating  600  meters  into  enemy  ter- 
ritory, killing  about  a  platoon  of  the  enemy  and  taking 
three  machine  guns,  numerous  rifles,  pistols  and  other 
equipment.  During  the  raid,  one  American  was  killed  and 
four  wounded.  "When  every  one  had  returned  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  American  trenches,  German  artillery  fire, 
heretofore  silent,  opened  vigorously  and  two  bays  filled 
with  men  were  hit.  Altogether,  seventeen  men  were  killed 
and  fifteen  wounded  by  two  shells.  A  Division  order  was 
published  to  the  Command  on  August  8,  1918,  citing  the 
troops  participating  in  this  operation  for  their  gallantry 
and  soldierly  conduct.  This  raid  was  supported  by  the 
320th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  with  overhead  fire. 

The  first  week  of  August  was  marked  by  a  noticeable 
increase  in  the  activity  on  both  sides.  Artillery  fire  became 
more  general  and  German  airplane  operations  became  very 
active,  bombing  and  firing  machine  guns  at  combat  groups 
and  command  posts,  attacking  observation  balloons  and 
engaging  our  pursuit  planes  with  more  numerous  fighting 
planes. 

On  August  3,  1918,  the  30th  Engineers  effected  a  gas 
projector  attack  of  seven  and  one-half  tons  of  various  gases 


16  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

and,  as  was  later  ascertained  from  enemy  sources,  caused 
many  German  casualties.  This  projector  attack  provoked 
enemy  retaliation  by  a  severe  bombardment  of  mustard  gas 
shells  on  the  night  of  August  7,  1918,  while  a  relief  of  the 
82nd  Division  by  the  89th  U.  S.  Division  was  in  progress. 
All  front-line  Infantry  battalions  of  the  82nd  Division  had 
been  withdrawn,  and  this  Division  suffered  no  gas  casual- 
ties except  among  the  front-line  machine  gun  units,  which 
had  seventeen  casualties.  The  89th  Division  suffered  very 
heavy  casualties. 

The  total  casualties  in  the  82nd  Division  during  its  oc- 
cupancy of  the  Lagny  Sector  were  as  follows: 

Enlisted 
Officers    Personnel 

Killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds 1  43 

Known  Prisoners 0  3 

Missing   0  0 

Wounded,  including  "Gassed" 21  306 

Total   22  352 

The  relief  of  the  89th  Division  was  completed  on  August 
10,  1918,  and  the  82nd  Division  moved  by  marching  and 
60-centimeter  railroad  to  an  area  west  of  Toul,  with  head- 
quarters at  Blenod-les-Toul. 


CHAPTER  III 

MARBACHE  SECTOR  AND  ST.  MIHIBL 
OFFENSIVE 

Orders  were  received  August  10,  1918,  assigning  the 
Division  to  the  American  III  Army  Corps,  with  further 
directions  to  join  at  once  on  the  Marne  salient.  Within 
twenty-four  hours  this  order  was  revoked  and  the  Division 
was  directed  to  undertake  a  course  of  training  in  the  area 
where  then  billeted. 

After  training  two  days,  the  Division  was  assigned  to 
the  IV  American  Corps  for  administration  and  the  VIII 
French  Army  for  tactical  control.  Concurrently  the  Divi- 
sion was  ordered  to  relieve  the  American  2nd  Division 
in  the  Marbache  Sector.  The  relief  began  August  15, 
1918,  and  was  completed  in  two  days.  On  August  20, 1918, 
the  82nd  Division  was  transferred  to  the  command  of  the 
American  1st  Corps,  which  became  part  of  the  American 
First  Army,  August  30,  1918.  The  Division  pursued  the 
same  methods  of  relief  by  battalions  within  the  regiments 
as  followed  in  the  Lagny  Sector.  The  125th  French  Divi- 
sion was  o»  the  right  of  the  82nd  Division  and  the  1st 
American  Division  on  the  left  for  the  first  week  after  the 
arrival  of  the  82nd  Division,  when  the  90th  U.  S.  Division 
relieved  the  1st  Division. 

The  Marbache  Sector  lay  astride  the  beautiful  Moselle 
Valley  and  included  just  within  its  front  lines  the  consid- 

17 


18  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

erable  city  of  Pont-a-Mousson.  The  sector  had  been  known 
after  the  first  year  of  war  as  a  rest  sector  for  both  French 
and  German  Divisions.  Such  was  still  the  status  of  the 
sector  when  taken  over  by  the  82nd  Division,  but  during 
the  last  of  August  a  marked  change  was  evident.  Consid- 
erable artillery  activity  developed  and  the  enemy  was  ex- 
ceedingly aggressive  in  the  air.  Patrolling  and  small  am- 
buscades featured  the  Infantry  activity  of  both  bel- 
ligerents. 

The  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  had  joined  the  82nd 
Division  just  as  the  Division  was  entering  this  sector.  It 
had  received  its  entire  equipment  and  subsequent  training 
at  La  Courtine,  where  it  had  been  stationed  since  its  ar- 
rival in  France  on  June  3,  1918.  The  advent  of  this 
brigade  was  most  gratifying  to  the  Infantry,  which  was 
quick  to  perceive  the  advantage  of  Artillery  support  con- 
trolled by  officers  imbued  with  personal  pride  in  the  work 
of  the  Division,  and  with  whom  the  Infantry  had  estab- 
lished personal  relations  during  the  months  at  Camp 
Gordon. 

An  event  took  place  on  August  29,  1918,  in  the  325th 
Infantry  which  remained  a  mystery  until  long  after  the 
Armistice.  Lieutenants  Wallace  and  "Williams  went  out 
on  a  daylight  reconnaissance  with  Corporals  Slavin  and 
Sullivan  of  Company  L,  325th  Infantry.  This  little 
patrol  left  Dombasle  Chateau  and  never  returned.  When 
American  prisoners  were  released  after  the  Armistice  Cor- 
poral Slavin  came  back  to  the  regiment.  The  party  had 
pushed  across  the  Sielle  River  and  through  No  Man 's  Land 
to  the  German  wire.  On  their  way  back  they  were  am- 
bushed and  all  the  party  killed  except  Corporal  Slavin. 

A  few  days  before  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive  of  September 
12, 1918,  it  was  common  knowledge  that  some  major  opera- 
tion was  impending  and  this  assumption  carried  a  most 
stimulating  result  throughout  the  Command.    For  a  week 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  19 

before  this  offensive,  civilians  were  evacuated  from  the  ad- 
vanced areas. 

The  tentative  plan  of  attack  of  the  1st  Army  Corps, 
published  September  6,  1918,  stated  the  mission  of  the 
82nd  Division.  The  Division  from  its  position  on  the  right 
flank  of  both  Corps  and  Army  was  given  "for  its  special 
mission  the  exerting  of  pressure  on,  and  maintaining  con- 
tact with,  the  enemy."  It  was  further  stated  that  no 
attack  was  expected  from  the  Division. 

In  full  performance  of  this  mission,  all  Infantry  regi- 
ments of  the  Division  pushed  to  the  front  strong  daylight 
patrols  on  the  first  day  of  the  drive,  September  12,  1918. 
These  combat  groups  gained  close  contact  with  the  enemy, 
driving  in  his  outposts  and  obtaining  definite  information 
concerning  the  location  of  his  supporting  troops.  This  was 
not  accomplished  without  considerable  casualties  among 
the  ofiicers  and  men  of  the  combat  platoons.  One  of  the 
combat  groups  from  the  327th  Infantry  on  arriving  at  the 
Bel  Air  Farm  was  counter-attacked  by  a  strong  German 
force  and  compelled  to  withdraw  to  our  own  trenches.  The 
retirement  was  covered  by  a  platoon  of  D  Company,  321st 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  under  2nd  Lt.  Kobert  Goodall. 
The  cool  and  efficient  manner  in  which  this  detachment 
handled  its  guns  was  worthy  of  special  commendation. 

On  September  12,  three  platoons  from  F  Company, 
328th  Infantry  (Captain  Foreman),  the  most  advanced 
unit,  were  pushed  forward  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Moselle 
to  ascertain  whether  or  not  the  German  lines  had  been 
withdrawn.  Lieutenant  Cox  with  his  platoon  forced  an 
entrance  into  the  Maison  Gauthier,  a  well-known  strong 
point,  which  covered  the  southern  approach  to  the  town  of 
Norroy.  This  formidable  position  was  located  about  one 
kilometer  north  of  our  front-line  trench.  The  patrol  forced 
its  way  through  the  enemy  wire  and  drove  the  German 
occupants  out  of  the  southern  trenches  and  dugouts. 


20  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Lieutenant  Harrison  led  his  platoon  farther  to  the  west 
against  the  outer  defenses  of  Norroy. 

Lieutenant  Gould  with  his  platoon  attacked  on  the  left 
flank  of  the  battalion  sector.  All  three  platoons  met  with 
heavy  fire  and  numerous  casualties,  but  demonstrated  the 
presence  of  substantial  enemy  forces  in  the  long-established 
German  positions. 

After  gallantly  performing  his  mission,  Lt.  Charles  Haiv 
rison  was  killed  while  directing  the  withdrawal  of  his  pla- 
toon. The  patrols  from  the  325th  Infantry  succeeded  in 
reaching  Eply.  The  326th  Infantry  patrols  operated  in 
Bois  de  la  Tete  d'Or,  west  of  Bois  de  la  Voivrotte. 

The  soldierly  manner  in  which  these  combat  reconnais- 
sances were  executed  elicited  the  following  telegram  from 
Commanding  General,  1st  Corps,  to  the  Commanding  Gen- 
eral, 82nd  Division: 

*' Please  convey  to  the  officers  and  men  of  your  Division 
my  appreciation  of  the  difficult  part  they  had  to  perform 
in  the  highly  successful  operation  of  the  1st  Corps  to-day. 
This  part  they  performed  to  my  full  satisfaction." 

Throughout  the  St.  Mihiel  operations  the  163rd  Infantry 
Brigade  was  supported  by  the  320th  Machine  Gun  Bat- 
talion (Captain  Muldrow)  and  the  321st  Machine  Gun 
Battalion  (Major  Moore)  shared  the  experiences  of  the 
164th  Infantry  Brigade. 

It  was  known  that  prior  to  this  offensive  the  enemy  order 
of  battle  in  this  sector  from  west  to  east  was  the  255th 
Division,  the  84:th  Landwehr  Brigade  and  the  31st  Land- 
wehr  Brigade.  Corps  Headquarters  wishing  to  ascertain 
whether  the  enemy  had  added  other  units  in  preparation 
for  a  counter-attack,  directed  that  a  strong  raid  with  artil- 
lery assistance  be  made  against  the  German  strong  point, 
Bel  Air  Farm,  just  east  of  the  Moselle.  In  compliance 
with  this  order.  Companies  E  and  K,  327th  Infantry  (Cap- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  21 

tain  Welch),  advanced  against  Bel  Air  Farm  and  Bois 
de  la  Tete  d'Or  adjoining,  at  18  hours,  September  13,  1918. 
A  smoke  screen  was  thrown  down  in  front  of  the  ob- 
jective and  the  Division  Artillery  laid  a  barrage  on  the 
enemy  position.  One  prisoner  was  taken,  from  whom  was 
obtained  a  confirmation  of  the  enemy  order  of  battle.  In 
addition  a  light  machine  gun  was  captured  and  several  of 
the  enemy  killed.  The  German  artillery  countered  by  lay- 
ing a  heavy  fire  upon  our  Infantry  during  the  entire 
period  of  the  raid  and  until  the  return  to  our  own  trenches. 
The  steadiness  with  which  this  fire  was  supported  indicated 
a  high  order  of  discipline  and  morale.  During  our  with- 
drawal the  enemy  attempted  an  infantry  counter-attack 
from  the  woods  east  of  the  farm.  This  effort  was  broken 
down  by  the  fire  of  Company  B,  321st  Machine  Gun  Bat- 
talion (Captain  Cunningham).    Our  casualties  numbered: 

Company  E. 

Officers.  Men. 

Killed   1  5 

Wounded,  severely   0  9 

Wounded,  slightly    1  14 

Missing  or  captured 0  1 

Gassed   0  15 

Total 2  44  3  47 

The  decision  of  the  American  high  command  to  advance 
the  right  brigade  of  the  90th  Division  through  the  famous 
Bois  le  Pretre,  drew  the  328th  Infantry  (Colonel  Nelson) 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Moselle  into  a  series  of  offensive 
actions  not  contemplated  in  the  tentative  plan  of  Septem- 
ber 6,  1918. 


Company  K. 

Officers. 

Men. 

0 

0 

0 

2 

0 

15 

1 

8 

2 

22 

22  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

328th  Infantry  Advances  Along  Moselle  River. 

On  September  12,  1918,  the  right  brigade  of  the  90tii 
Division  remained  in  place  and  the  328th  Infantry  was 
engaged  in  the  aggressive  daylight  reconnaissance  already 
described.  On  the  afternoon  of  September  13,  1918,  the 
328th  Infantry  was  informed  that  the  right  brigade  of  the 
90th  Division  was  attacking  north  and  that  our  regiment 
would  maintain  liaison  and  protect  the  right  flank  of  the 
90th  Division. 

In  compliance  with  these  orders  the  2nd  Battalion,  328th 
Infantry  (Major  Buxton),  in  the  outpost  zone  was  as- 
sembled as  rapidly  as  possible  from  its  scattered  positions 
in  a  defensive  trench  sector  and  placed  in  attack  formation 
on  the  most  advanced  line.  Engineers  cut  gaps  in  our 
front  wire  and  E  and  G  Companies  moved  out  just  before 
dusk,  followed  by  F  and  H  Companies  and  Company  C, 
321st  Machine  Gun  Battalion  (Captain  McWhorter).  The 
328th  Stokes  Mortar  and  37-mm.  platoons  also  accom- 
panied the  advance.  This  was  the  first  battalion  of  the 
82nd  Division  to  go  over  the  top  as  a  complete  unit  in  a 
general  attack. 

The  raid  on  Bel  Air  Farm  across  the  river  was  in  oper- 
ation and  helped  divert  enemy  attention  from  this  move- 
ment west  of  the  river.  It  is  certain  that  two  factors  alone 
saved  the  328th  Infantry  from  very  heavy  casualties  by 
enemy  artillery.  First,  the  fact  that  darkness  enabled  the 
battalion  to  advance  without  hostile  observation.  The  sec- 
ond factor  was  the  careful  avoidance  of  all  roads  and  es- 
tablished trails.  The  combat  groups  cut  new  trails  through 
the  heavy  bands  of  formidable  German  wire,  while  the 
enemy  continued  to  shell  the  usual  approaches  to  Norroy 
throughout  the  night. 

The  battalion  jumped  off  just  after  the  receipt  of  a 
message  stating  that  the  right  flank  of  the  90th  Division 


376  377 

82nd  division  IN  ST.  MIHIEL 

-  -  Dotted  lines  indicate  temporary 

—  Solid  lines  indicate  organized  fi 


a7»  '^70  S80 

rFENSIVE,  SEPT.  12-16,  1918 
sitions  of  advance  units  during  the  day 
line  at  midniglit 


3Sl 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  23 

had  pushed  into  the  Bois  le  Pretre  and  held  a  line  about 
600  meters  southwest  of  Norroy. 

The  expected  Infantry  resistance  did  not  develop.  A 
battalion  of  the  68th  Landwehr,  255th  German  Division, 
had  hurriedly  abandoned  Norroy  and  the  commanding 
heights  north  of  that  village  a  brief  period  before  the 
arrival  of  our  battalion.  The  German  positions  south  of 
Norroy  were  strengthened  by  concrete  pill  boxes  and  a 
huge  anti-tank  trench  in  addition  to  a  very  complete  trench 
system  fortified  with  an  unusual  quantity  of  wire  defenses. 

When  our  troops  entered  Norroy  one  building  was  burn- 
ing as  the  result  of  our  artillery  fire  during  the  afternoon. 
One  German  soldier  was  captured  in  a  sniping  post. 
Seventeen  French  civilians,  mostly  elderly  women,  crawled 
out  from  the  cellars  of  their  ruined  homes  and  joyfully 
welcomed  ^Hheir  deliverers." 

At  about  22  hours*  on  the  night  of  September  13  the  bat- 
talion was  organized  in  depth  with  Companies  G,  F  and  E 
and  the  Machine  Gun  Company  occupying  the  shallow 
trenches  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  north  of  Norroy.  Liaison 
had  been  established  with  the  90th  Division  whose  front  line 
now  held  the  continuation  of  the  ridge  to  the  west.  Our 
battalion  had  achieved  a  night  advance  of  more  than  two 
kilometers. 

The  occupation  of  our  new  position  was  accomplished  in 
total  darkness  by  company  commanders  working  from 
map  designations  given  them  in  the  jumping-off  trench. 
Two  platoons  of  E  Company  were  placed  facing  east  along 
the  river  canal.  Since  the  units  of  the  82nd  Division  east 
of  the  Moselle  River  did  not  advance,  the  2nd  Battalion, 
328th  Infantry,  was  now  nearly  three  kilometers  in  ad- 
vance of  any  support  on  that  side  of  the  river.    The  Bat- 

*  Our  army  adopted  the  French  military  practice  of  using 
24-hour  clock  designations  instead  of  the  usual  12-hour  system, 
and  thus  avoided  the  necessity  of  using  a.m.  and  p.m. 


24  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

talion  had  been  given  the  mission  of  protecting  the  right 
flank  of  the  90th  Division,  but  the  right  flank  of  our  own 
Battalion  had  no  protection  whatever,  except  by  a  river 
fordable  in  many  places.  Furthermore,  the  328th  Infantry 
was  now  placed  some  two  kilometers  nearer  than  the  90th 
Division  to  the  direct  enfilade  fire  of  the  German  batteries 
on  the  hill  across  the  river  east  of  Norroy.  In  addition 
to  the  possibility  of  a  frontal  attack  by  enemy  infantry  our 
unit  was  compelled  to  guard  against  any  force  which  might 
come  down  the  open  valley  of  the  Moselle  and  attempt  to 
encircle  our  flank  between  Norroy  and  Pont-a-Mousson. 

The  prisoner  captured  the  evening  of  September  13 
stated  that  his  own  Battalion  was  probably  entrenched  at 
Vandieres,  two  kilometers  north  of  Norroy.  This  prisoner 
had  been  told  by  his  officers  that  the  Americans  killed  all 
captives. 

The  civilians  found  in  Norroy  had  just  escaped  from  a 
thraldom  endured  for  four  long  years.  They  testified  to 
the  destructive  character  of  the  initial  American  bombard- 
ment during  the  early  hours  of  September  12,  1918.  Some 
civilians  and  several  German  soldiers  had  been  killed  in 
Norroy  during  this  barrage.  These  civilians  testified  that 
the  Germans  left  Norroy  very  hurriedly  just  before  their 
evening  meal  on  September  13,  1918.  This  was  evidenced  by 
the  untouched  food  found  upon  the  mess  tables,  the  complete 
battalion  records  and  a  large  quantity  of  military  equip- 
ment abandoned.  Great  numbers  of  Belgian  hares  about 
the  village  indicated  one  prolific  source  of  fresh  meat  for 
the  resourceful  Germans.  Further  statements  made  by 
the  rescued  population  of  Norroy  may  be  found  in  the 
report  of  the  lieutenant  commanding  the  French  military 
police  attached  to  the  82nd  Division.  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  the  report: 

"The  population  of  NORROY  during  the  German  occu- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  25 

pation  consisted  of  330  individuals  according  to  the  list  of 
rations  which  were  distributed  by  the  Priest. 

''On  the  11th,  12th  and  13th  of  Sept.,  the  Germans 
evacuated  the  inhabitants  to  VANDIfiRES,  telling  them 
that  NORROY  had  been  mined  and  that  they  had  the 
intention  of  destroying  same  following  their  withdrawal. 
Only  17  individuals  who  had  hidden  themselves  in  cellars 
were  found  at  the  time  of  its  occupation  by  the  American 
troops. 

''STATEMENTS  MADE  BY  THE  INHABITANTS: 
The  German  Battalion  Commander  made  himself  particu- 
larly conspicuous  by  his  brutal  ways.  He  plundered  houses 
and  confiscated  everything,  according  to  his  desires.  Dur- 
ing the  day  the  12th  inst.,  the  Priest  having  refused  to 
leave  with  the  Germans  was  carried  away  by  force.  Sev- 
eral persons  saw  the  Priest  bareheaded,  being  taken  away 
by  four  soldiers.  The  Mayor  was  taken  away  under  similar 
conditions  on  the  13th  inst. 

"The  inhabitants  received  for  the  month  of  September, 
13  pounds  of  flour,  1  kilogr.  (about  2  pounds)  of  fat,  1 
kilogr.  of  preserved  meat  and  400  grammes  of  dried  vege- 
tables. The  distribution  of  the  foregoing  had  not  been  com- 
pleted; the  Priest  had  received  same  from  the  American 
Aid  Committee.  Inhabitants  with  means  paid  for  their 
rations.  The  sum  of  3,000  Francs  which  had  been  collected 
was  carried  off  by  the  Germans  in  spite  of  the  protest  of 
the  Priest.  It  appears  that  a  stock  of  food  exists  at  the 
Presbytery. 

"A  supply  of  grenades  is  said  to  have  been  placed  by 
the  Germans  in  cellars  of  houses  bearing  the  numbers  of 
40  and  42. 

"According  to  statements  made  by  several  individuals, 
the  enemy  is  suffering  from  a  lack  of  foodstuffs.  For  some 
time  past  no  meat  rations  had  been  distributed. 

"The  inhabitants  of  NORROY  were  aware  of  the  pres- 
ence of  American  troops  in  the  sector  opposite,  having  been 
so  informed  by  the  Germans.  The  Germans,  it  appears, 
were  in  great  fear  of  them." 

Despite  our  expectation  the  enemy  did  not  attempt  any 
counter-attack  on  the  morning  of  September  14  nor  during 
the  day  and  night  following.    Enemy  aeroplanes  were  con- 


26  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

tinually  over  the  town.  Furthermore,  German  artillery 
bombarded  the  town  from  the  north  and  east  with  a  mix- 
ture of  mustard  gas  and  high  explosive  shells  throughout 
the  day  and  night  of  September  14,  1918^  causing  a  num- 
ber of  casualties  in  that  period.  Six  men  in  E  Company 
were  injured  by  the  explosion  of  one  shell  alone.  A  heavy 
concentration  of  mustard  gas  collected  in  Norroy  during 
the  afternoon  and  troops  in  the  town  were  compelled  to 
wear  gas  masks  continuously  for  about  four  hours  until 
it  was  possible  to  remove  the  men  to  high  ground  relatively 
free  from  gas. 

The  Attack  on  Yandieres 

The  3rd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry  (Major  Johnson), 
was  ordered  to  relieve  the  2nd  Battalion  during  the  night 
of  September  14-15,  1918,  and  the  last  platoons  effected  the 
relief  just  at  daylight. 

On  September  15,  1918,  the  90th  Division  pressed  for- 
ward to  ground  west  of  the  village  of  Vandieres,  and  the 
3rd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry,  with  Company  C,  321st 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  made  a  daylight  advance  to  extend 
again  the  flank  of  the  90th  Division.  The  heights  from 
which  they  jumped  off  sloped  away  into  a  level  valley 
which  held  the  small  village  of  Vandieres,  and  because  of 
the  open  nature  of  the  country,  the  advance  was  necessarily 
made  in  full  view  of  all  enemy  artillery  flanking  the  posi- 
tion from  the  east.  The  battalion  was  required  to  proceed 
through  almost  continuous  shell  fire,  and  suffered  approxi- 
mately 275  casualties  in  a  few  minutes.  Vandieres  was 
entered  and  some  units  of  the  command  seized  high  ground 
north  of  Vandieres,  from  which  points  all  troops  were  later 
withdrawn.  The  battalion  dug  in  just  south  of  the  village, 
refusing  the  right  flank  and  connecting  up  with  the  90th 
Division  on  the  left.     This  advance  still  further  exposed 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  27 

the  flank  of  the  328th  Infantry  to  enemy  artillery  fire  and 
constituted  a  tempting  invitation  for  a  German  infantry 
counter-attack. 

The  terrible  punishment  inflicted  upon  this  battalion  was 
caused  almost  exclusively  by  enemy  artillery,  which  was 
able  to  use  direct  fire  at  a  murderously  close  range.  Casu- 
alties inflicted  by  enemy  infantry  were  slight.  No  unit 
of  the  Division  had  thus  far  been  subjected  to  a  test 
approaching  in  severity  the  experience  of  the  3rd  Bat- 
talion on  this  afternoon.  That  the  platoons  continued  to 
advance  in  many  instances  after  losing  their  accustomed 
leaders  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  this  unit.  Among 
other  officer  casualties,  Captain  Eumph,  of  I  Company, 
and  Captain  Cooper,  of  M  Company,  were  severely 
wounded.  The  units  of  the  Machine  Gun  Company  were 
also  conspicuous  for  great  gallantry.  The  gunners  were 
well  forward  in  the  advance  and  sustained  heavy  losses 
with  unbroken  spirit.  One  very  gallant  and  dramatic  part 
was  played  by  the  drivers  of  the  machine  gun  carts.  These 
men  drove  their  mules  at  a  gallop  through  the  barrage 
and  up  to  the  outskirts  of  Vandieres.  Even  after  the  new 
front  had  been  organized,  enemy  artillery  continued  to 
bombard  the  new  line  with  gas  shells  and  high  explosives. 

The  1st  Battalion,  328th  Infantry  (Major  Boyle),  which 
had  been  in  support  of  the  3rd  Battalion  during  this  oper- 
ation, relieved  the  3rd  Battalion  after  dark  the  night  of 
September  15,  1918,  and  held  the  new  line  under  constant 
harassing  fire  supported  by  the  328th  Infantry  Machine 
Gun  Company  (Captain  Carr)  until  in  turn  relieved 
September  16,  1918,  by  a  battalion  of  the  90th  Division. 

The  1st  and  3rd  Battalions  of  the  328th  Infantry  were 
cited  in  Division  orders  for  splendid  conduct  in  taking 
Vandieres  under  very  heavy  artiMery  fire. 

A  Division  citation  at  the  same  time  was  given  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Emory  J.  Pike,  Divisional  Machine  Gun  Officer, 


28  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

who  died  from  wounds  received  during  advance  of  3rd 
Battalion  upon  Vandieres.  Colonel  Pike  was  voluntarily 
assisting  some  Infantry  units  when  struck  down  by  a 
shell.  During  the  advance  in  the  St.  Mihiel  drive  the 
forward  battalions  of  the  328th  Infantry  were  under 
the  tactical  supervision  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Eichard 
Wetherill.  Among  officer  casualties  in  the  other  regiments 
of  the  Division  during  this  offensive  was  Captain  Arthur 
E.  Hamm,  Company  M,  326th  Infantry,  who  was  killed 
in  an  outpost  position  by  a  bomb  dropped  from  an  aero- 
plane. The  327th  Infantry  suffered  many  officer  casual- 
ties, among  which  were  1st  Lieutenant  Eobert  R.  Forrester 
of  Company  L  and  2nd  Lieutenant  Leo  D.  Sheridan  of 
Company  E,  both  severely  wounded  by  shell  fire.  1st 
Lieutenant  Joe  N.  Neal,  Jr.,  died  from  shrapnel  wounds 
received  September  13th.  Another  loss  in  the  327th  In- 
fantry was  that  of  Captain  James  E.  Welch,  Jr.,  command- 
ing the  Third  Battalion.  About  dark  on  the  afternoon  of 
September  14,  1918,  Captain  Welch  took  two  soldiers  and 
went  into  No  Man's  Land  to  search  for  some  members  of 
his  command  who  had  been  missing  since  the  raid  on  Bel 
Air  Farm  the  previous  afternoon.  After  going  a  short 
distance  they  were  fired  on  by  German  machine  guns. 
Captain  Welch  told  the  soldier  nearest  our  lines  to  **go 
back  in  if  you  can."  This  soldier  reported  several  hours 
later.  Neither  Captain  Welch  nor  the  second  soldier  were 
ever  seen  again.  After  the  Armistice  the  Regiment  sent 
a  searching  party  back  to  this  sector,  but  no  crosses  were 
found  marked  with  the  names  of  the  missing  pair.  It 
is  believed  that  they  were  killed  and  buried  by  the  enemy 
who  failed  to  mark  their  graves. 

The  82nd  Division  was  relieved  by  the  69th  French 
Division,  the  movement  being  completed  September  21, 
1918,  and  all  units  were  camped  in  the  woods  around  Mar- 
bache  and  Belleville.     Division  Headquarters  moved  to 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  29 

Liverdun.  At  this  time,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Royden  E. 
Beebe  was  transferred  to  General  Headquarters,  and 
Colonel  Raymond  Sheldon  became  Chief  of  Staff. 

The  total  casualties  of  the  Division  during  its  tour  of 
duty  in  the  Marbache  Sector  numbered : 

Maebache  Sectob — August  ll-September  10. 

EnUsted 
Officers    Personnel 

Killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds 0  11 

Known  Prisoners 0  4 

Missing   2  2 

Wounded,  including  "Gassed" 4  56 

Total   6  73 

St.  Mihiel  Battle — September  Xl-Septemher  20, 

Enlisted 
Officers    Personnel 

Killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds 4  74 

Known  Prisoners 0  6 

Missing  1  8 

Wounded,  including  "Gassed" 38  819 

Total   43  907 

The  Division  was  ordered  to  embuss  September  24,  1918, 
for  the  vicinity  of  Clermont,  west  of  Verdun.  The  horse 
transport  and  artillery  preceded  the  Division  by  marching. 
The  Division  was  directed  to  report  to  the  Commanding 
General,  American  First  Army,  as  Army  reserve.  The 
Division  arrived  in  the  new  area  on  September  25,  1918, 
and  pitched  shelter  tents  in  the  woods  west  of  the  Cler- 
mont-Bar-le-Duc  Road.  Division  Headquarters  was  estab- 
lished in  Grange-le-Comte,  an  old  French  farm-house. 


CHAPTER  IV 
EARLY  DAYS  OF  MEUSE-ARGONNE   OFFENSIVE 

September  25,  1918 — October  5,  1918 

"When  the  long  French  bus  trains,  driven  by  hundreds 
of  uniformed  Annamites,  debarked  the  last  unit  of  the 
82nd  Division  south  of  Clermont-en-Argonne  on  Septem- 
ber 25,  1918,  the  Division  stood  ready  for  any  emergency 
as  Army  Reserve  in  rear  of  the  1st  Corps  area.  The  total 
strength  of  the  82nd  Division  mustered  934  officers,  25,797 
unlisted  men  and  5646  animals. 

The  vast  concentration  of  troops,  transport  and  materiel 
convinced  all  ranks  that  the  day  of  an  important  military 
effort  was  at  hand.  When,  at  1  hour,  September  26,  1918, 
the  bivouacked  thousands  were  awakened  by  the  thunder 
of  massed  artillery  in  a  barrage  obviously  extending  from 
the  Meuse  River  west  across  the  Argonne  Forest,  along  the 
front  of  the  French  Army  on  our  left,  we  knew  that  the 
hour  had  come. 

The  following  three  days  proved  a  trying  period.  Re- 
peated warnings  from  the  higher  command  kept  all  units 
on  a  continuous  alert.  In  Division  Headquarters  it  was 
known  only  that  the  Division  could  expect  two  hours' 
notice  prior  to  a  definite  movement.  Liaison  officers  from 
the  Division  with  the  1st  Army  and  1st  Corps  Headquar- 
ters kept  the  Division  in  touch  with  the  progress  of  the 
attack  along  the  entire  front.  Liaison  was  also  maintained 
with  the  92nd  Division  in  1st  Corps  Reserve  near  Clermont. 

30 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  31 

The  Advance  P.  C.  of  the  82nd  Division  was  located 
at  Grange  le  Comte  Farm,  about  three  kilometers  north- 
west from  Rarecourt,  the  Headquarters  of  the  1st  Corps. 
The  2nd  Echelon  of  Division  Headquarters  was  established 
at  Passavant.  The  regiments  and  separate  battalions  were 
bivouacked  in  the  woods  west  of  the  main  army  road  to 
Clermont  and  extending  from  the  vicinity  of  Grange  le 
Comte  Farm  to  the  region  west  of  Froidos. 

The  nights  were  cold  and  periods  of  rain  were  sufficiently 
frequent  to  keep  all  ranks  in  an  uncomfortable  condition. 
Animal  transport  and  trucks  mired  in  the  forest  mud,  and 
green,  drenched  wood  seriously  handicapped  the  efforts  of 
cooks  and  kitchen  police.  Most  of  the  men  of  the  Division 
had  now  been  in  continuous  bivouac  in  rain  and  cold 
weather  since  September  16,  at  the  end  of  the  St.  Mihiel 
Drive.  As  a  result  of  this  exposure,  many  men  were  suf- 
fering from  diarrhoea,  and  hard  colds  were  general.  Not- 
withstanding this  situation,  the  morale  of  all  units  was  of 
the  highest  type  and  the  attitude  of  the  troops  indicated 
both  resolution  and  an  earnest  desire  to  meet  the  enemy. 
During  the  occasional  periods  of  sunshine,  regimental 
bands  played  lively  airs.  As  far  as  practicable  troops  con- 
tinued the  usual  training  schedule. 

327th  Infantry  (September  29 — October  1,  1918) 

The  period  of  waiting  and  of  fruitless  *' alerts''  con- 
tinued until  16 :25  hours,  September  29,  1918,  when  the  fol- 
lowing telephone  message  was  received  by  the  Chief  of 
Staff,  82nd  Division,  from  the  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Army: 

**You  will  cause  the  82nd  Division  to  stand  at  the  alert 
at  once  and  to  load  on  the  Supply  Trains  of  the  Division 
one  regiment  of  Infantry  with  two  days'  rations,  to  be  at 
the  disposal  of  the  1st  Corps. ' ' 

The  First  Corps  followed  immediately  with  instructions 


32  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

to  embuss  the  327th  Infantry  and  send  it  to  Varennes  by 
main  road.  Upon  arrival,  Colonel  Ely  was  to  report  with 
his  command  to  the  Commanding  General,  28th  Division. 

''Men  to  take  two  extra  bandoliers  of  ammunition  and 
two  days'  rations.  Don't  lose  any  time  about  it.  The  other 
regiment  to  be  alerted." 

These  orders  were  communicated  to  the  164th  Infantry 
Brigade  and  at  16:33  hours,  Brigadier  General  Lindsey 
telephoned  the  details  of  the  order  to  the  327th  Infantry. 

At  17  hours,  the  1st  Corps  amended  the  order  by  tele- 
phone stating  that  the  regiment  would  embuss  without 
machine  gun  company,  combat  trains  or  supply  company. 
This  last  message  reached  the  327th  Infantry  at  17:10 
hours.  The  regiment  moved  out  and  embussed  at  17:53 
hours,  arriving  at  Varennes  in  spite  of  traffic  congested 
roads  at  23 :00  hours  that  same  night.  This  highly  credit- 
able performance  of  both  regiment  and  supply  train  caused 
Brigadier  General  Craig,  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps,  to  com- 
ment next  morning  that 

*'the  327th  Infantry  reached  its  destination  last  night  in 
good  time  under  considerable  difficulty." 

Colonel  Sweeney,  the  Chief  of  Staff,  28th  Division, 
'directed  that  the  regiment  bivouac  in  the  woods  two  kilo- 
meters west  of  Varennes. 

On  the  morning  of  September  30,  Colonel  Ely  was  given 
a  statement  of  the  situation  in  the  following  terms : 

**The  28th  Division  was  holding  the  ridge  of  Eills  just 
northwest  of  Apremont.  The  line  of  the  35th  Division 
had  extended  from  Gesnes  to  Montrebeau  Woods  and  con- 
nected with  the  28th  Division  near  Apremont.  At  the 
present  moment,  however,  Colonel  Sweeney  was  informed 
that  the  35th  Division  was  falling  back  and  that  the  men 
were  straggling  badly." 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  33 

Colonel  Ely  was  directed  to  send  the  2nd  Battalion,  327tli 
Infantry  (Major  Blanchard),  to  proceed  at  once  along  the 
army  road  toward  Baulny  and  occupy  the  ridge  northwest 
of  Baulny  no  matter  what  troops  of  the  35th  Division 
might  still  be  on  the  ridge.  This  battalion  was  'Ho  pick 
up  all  stragglers,  using  extreme  measures  if  necessary.'* 

Colonel  Sweeney  stated  further  that  an  attack  would 
probably  be  ordered  for  that  afternoon  (September  30)  at 
14  hours,  with  Montrebeau  Woods,  the  objective.  The  1st 
Battalion,  327th  Infantry  (Major  Blalock)  received  orders 
to  follow  the  2nd  Battalion  in  support,  and  to  take  up  a 
position  extending  from  St.  Quentin  Mill  through  Char- 
pentry. 

The  3rd  Battalion  (Captain  Davis)  was  ordered  to  La 
Forge  Farm,  where  it  remained  for  two  days.  The  2nd 
and  1st  Battalions  moved  out  at  once,  taking  up  battle 
formations  when  coming  under  shell  fire.  The  movement 
was  made  under  complete  enemy  observation  and,  in  con- 
sequence, shelling  was  heavy  throughout  the  advance. 
Some  troops  belonging  to  the  35th  Division  were  found  on 
the  Baulny  Ridge.  They  were  in  a  disorganized  condition 
and  many  units  were  without  officers.  An  outpost  was 
established  at  Chaudron  Farm.  The  attack  planned  for 
14  hours  that  afternoon  was  postponed,  but  Colonel 
Sweeney  sent  a  warning  that  an  attack  was  planned  for 
5  hours  on  the  following  morning,  October  1.  The  enemy 
appeared  to  anticipate  an  attack,  for  the  Baulny  Ridge 
was  constantly  searched  by  his  artillery. 

At  3  hours,  October  1,  1918,  the  327th  Infantry  was 
informed  that  the  35th  Division  would  be  relieved  imme- 
diately by  the  1st  Division,  and  that  upon  completion  of 
this  relief  the  327th  Infantry  would  withdraw  to  Varennes. 
Relief  was  completed  by  the  1st  Division  at  4  hours,  Oc- 
tober 1,  1918,  and  our  regiment  returned  to  Varennes, 
where  it  bivouacked.    The  1st  Division  attacked  at  5  hours 


34  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

that  morning.  The  327th  Infantry  was  highly  compli- 
mented by  the  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  28th  Division  for  the 
manner  in  which  it  had  discharged  the  duty  assigned  the 
regiment.  Our  men  suffered  during  this  period  from  a 
shortage  of  food,  as  the  regimental  trains  were  unable  to 
reach  the  troops  until  after  the  reserve  rations  were 
exhausted. 

In  this  action,  Captain  W.  K.  Meadows,  Company  G,  and 
Second  Lieutenant  Preston  A.  Love,  Company  D,  were 
severely  wounded  and  evacuated.  There  were  117  casu- 
alties among  the  enlisted  personnel. 

Meanwhile  the  swift  march  of  events  on  all  fronts  of 
the  World  War  may  be  measured  by  the  announcement 
from  the  1st  Corps  Headquarters  on  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember 30,  1918,  to  the  effect  that  *' Bulgaria  accepts  peace 
on  the  Allied  terms,  which  includes  disbanding  of  the  Bul- 
garian Army  and  occupation  of  Bulgarian  railroads  by  the 
AUies.'^ 

307th  Engineers 

Immediately  upon  their  arrival  in  this  area,  the  307th 
Engineers  and  307th  Engineer  Train  had  been  temporarily 
detached  from  the  82nd  Division  and  ordered  to  proceed 
by  marching  to  Clermont-en-Argonne,  where  they  reported 
to  the  Chief  Engineer,  1st  Army,  for  work  on  the  Route 
Gardee.  The  Army  order  effecting  this  assignment  author- 
ized the  Commanding  General,  82nd  Division,  to  recall  the 
Regiment  and  Train  to  duty  with  the  Division  whenever 
the  Division  received  an  order  to  enter  the  action  or  to 
leave  the  vicinity  of  the  Clermont- Yarennes-Fleville  Road. 
In  consequence,  on  the  day  following  the  drive,  our 
Engineers  were  at  work  preparing  roads,  rebuilding  de- 
molished bridges  and  filling  in  mine  craters. 

In  compliance  with  orders  from  the  1st  Corps,  D  Com- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  35 

pany,  307th  Engineers,  reported  before  daylight  on  the 
morning  of  September  30,  1918,  to  Brigadier  General 
Nolan,  commanding  the  55th  Infantry  Brigade,  28th  Divi- 
sion, in  Apremont.  At  daylight,  50  men,  under  Lieutenant 
Sam  H.  Andrews,  Jr.,  were  sent  to  an  old  quarry  about 
four  hundred  yards  north  of  Apremont.  This  position  was 
organized  as  a  strong  point,  and  in  addition  to  the  Engineer 
Detachment,  was  garrisoned  by  a  platoon  of  machine  gun- 
ners with  four  guns  and  two  squads  of  Infantry.  At  six 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  October  1,  the  enemy  laid  down 
a  heavy  rolling  barrage  and  made  a  counter-attack  in  the 
direction  of  Apremont  with  a  force  estimated  to  comprise 
twelve  companies  of  Infantry  and  one  company  of  machine 
gunners.  Following  is  a  summary  of  the  report  made  by 
Lieutenant  Andrews: 

''Immediately  after  the  barrage,  the  enemy  in  large 
numbers  were  seen  approaching  from  the  north  in  the 
direction  of  Chatel-Chehery  and  from  the  west  along  the 
edge  of  the  woods  in  a  foiTnation  resembling  platoon  col- 
umns. They  sent  five  men  forward  with  grenades  to  take 
the  quarry  which  they  evidently  considered  to  be  no  more 
than  a  sentry  post.  These  five  men  were  put  out  of  action 
with  our  rifle  fire  and  the  enemy  continued  their  advance 
sending  forward  a  machine  gun  crew,  which  was  put  out 
of  action  by  Sgt.  1st  CI.  "William  L.  Eilhardt  with  hand 
grenades.  Fire  was  not  opened  from  the  quarry  until  the 
enemy  had  advanced  well  abreast  of  it,  at  which  time  all 
four  machine  guns,  all  automatic  rifles  and  riflemen  opened 
fire  from  both  flanks,  inflicting  very  heavy  casualties.  The 
enemy  succeeded  in  surrounding  the  quarry,  but  the  gar- 
rison continued  to  fire  from  all  sides.  The  enemy  deployed 
on  passing  the  quarry  and  attempted  to  gain  admission  to 
the  town  by  infiltration,  but  were  also  repulsed  in  this 
attempt." 

Eleven  prisoners  were  taken  by  the  garrison  at  the 
quarry  and  casualties  inflicted  upon  the  enemy  estimated 
to  approximate  five  hundred  men.     Two  hundred  of  this 


36  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

number  were  accounted  for  by  the  American  force  in  the 
quarry.  The  engagement  lasted  about  an  hour.  The 
other  elements  of  D  Company  were  on  the  firing  line  im- 
mediately in  front  of  Apremont.  Casualties  in  D  Com- 
pany were  comparatively  light,  sustaining  none  killed  and 
nineteen  wounded.  Following  this  action,  General  Nolan 
informed  the  company  commander  of  D  Company,  Cap- 
tain G.  P.  Donnelan,  that  he  had  '*a  damn  good  com- 
pany.'*   On  October  3,  this  unit  returned  to  road  work. 

82nd  Division  in  Corps  Eeserve 

Conditions  remained  unchanged  with  the  Division  until 
October  3,  1918,  when  the  82nd  Division  passed  into  1st 
Corps  Beserve.  At  the  same  time  the  164th  Infantry 
Brigade,  less  the  327th  Infantry  Eegiment,  was  ordered  to 
proceed  at  once  by  marching  to  the  woods  west  of  Varennes 
for  bivouac.  The  327th  Infantry  was  already  located  west 
of  Yarennes.  The  164th  Brigade  moved  on  the  afternoon 
of  October  3  north  by  way  of  Les  Islettes  to  the  vicinity 
of  Losheres,  where  it  bivouacked  for  the  night.  The  march 
was  resumed  at  7  hours  on  the  morning  of  October  4,  1918, 
and  covered  a  distance  of  12  kilometers  to  a  position  east  of 
Champ  Mahaut  in  concealed  bivouac  along  the  road.  This 
march  took  our  troops  through  the  territory  occupied  by 
the  77th  Division  at  the  beginning  of  the  drive  and  across 
a  No  Man's  Land  where,  for  four  years,  friendly  and  hos- 
tile artillery  had  torn  up  the  forest  and  blasted  the  ground 
into  a  desolate  mass  of  wreckage  and  shell  craters. 

Following  the  order  of  October  3,  moving  the  164th 
Brigade,  a  second  order  came  from  the  1st  Corps  directing 
the  82nd  Division,  less  artillery  and  the  164th  Brigade  to 
proceed  by  marching  at  6  hours,  October  4,  1918,  to  the 
woods  west  of  Varennes  for  bivouac.  This  march  was  com- 
pleted in  two  days  with  a  bivouac  on  the  night  of  October 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  37 

4tli  at  Camp  Mahaut,  about  three  kilometers  east  of  Les 
Islettes. 

On  October  4th,  Major  General  W.  P.  Burnham  was  re- 
lieved from  duty  with  the  82nd  Division  and  left  at  once 
to  become  Military  Eepresentative  of  the  United  States  in 
Greece.  The  command  of  the  Division  was  at  once  assumed 
by  Major  General  George  B.  Duncan. 

An  order  received  October  4,  1918,  from  headquarters 
1st  Corps  completed  preparations  for  the  concentration  of 
the  Division  west  of  Varennes  by  setting  in  motion  the 
157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade.  The  Brigade  was  directed 
to  leave  its  area  near  Futeau  at  8  hours,  October  5,  and 
proceed  via  Les  Islettes,  La  Fille  Morte,  to  junction  with 
the  Four-de-Paris- Varennes  Road,  and  thence  to  bivouac 
near  the  Infantry  brigades.  Camp  Mahaut,  two  kilometers 
northwest  of  Clermont,  was  indicated  as  the  staging  point 
for  the  night  October  5-6.  In  consequence  of  these  suc- 
cessive movement  orders,  the  Division  was  chiefly  occupied 
in  road  marches  and  bivouacs  from  October  3  to  October  6. 


CHAPTER  V 
PREPAEING  FOR  THE  ATTACK 

The  6th  of  October,  1918,  is  one  of  the  fateful  days  in 
the  life  of  the  82nd  Division.  All  combat  units  in  the 
Division  except  the  artillery  were  concentrated  in  the 
woods  about  three  kilometers  west  of  Varennes.  The  ar- 
tillery had  spent  the  preceding  night  at  Camp  Mahaut  and 
was  then  a  day's  march  from  Varennes,  where  the  Division 
P.  C.  had  been  established  since  October  3.  General  Dun- 
can's headquarters  was  located  in  a  dilapidated  cellar, 
which  afforded  slight  protection  from  the  elements,  and 
none  from  the  shell  fire  which  fell  at  intervals  upon  this 
historic,  but  now  almost  obliterated,  community.  There 
was  a  feeling  in  all  ranks  that  the  moment  of  supreme 
testing  for  the  Division  was  at  hand.  With  this  attitude 
of  expectancy  went  a  quiet  confidence,  born  of  the  expe- 
riences endured  in  the  weeks  before  Mont  Sec  and  astride 
the  Moselle  River,  and  the  important  task  accomplished 
in  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive. 

On  October  1,  the  Division  had  watched  the  elements  of 
the  35th  Division  withdraw  slowly  down  the  main  highway 
from  Clermont  toward  Bar-le-Duc.  "We  had  listened  for 
days  to  the  ceaseless  uproar  of  battle.  Men  must  be  tiring. 
Fresh  Americans  must  be  needed  to  replace  the  appalling 
wastage.  Heart  and  mind  the  Division  was  ready.  On 
the  6th  of  October,  two  of  the  three  divisions  which  had 
jumped  off  in  the  1st  Corps  on  the  morning  of  September 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  39 

26,  1918,  were  still  in  the  line— the  77th  on  the  left  and 
the  28th  in  the  center. 

As  previously  said,  the  1st  Division  had,  on  October  1, 
replaced  the  35th  Division  on  the  right  of  the  Corps.  The 
gallant  drive  of  the  1st  Division  had  resulted  in  the  for- 
mation of  a  salient  which  placed  that  unit  at  least  one  and 
one-half  kilometers  north  of  the  28th  Division  on  its  left, 
and  also  in  advance  of  the  5th  Corps,  on  its  right.  The  line 
of  the  1st  Division  extended  from  Bois  de  Money  and 
Arietal  Farm  to  Montrefagne  Hill.  From  this  point  the 
left  flank  ran  back  to  the  right  of  the  28th  Division,  which 
had  pushed  up  the  Aire  Eiver  as  far  as  the  southern  out- 
skirts of  Chatel-Chehery.  The  1st  Division  had  sent  patrols 
to  Fleville  but  found  it  unprofitable  to  attempt  any  occu- 
pation of  that  fiercely  shelled  and  exposed  area.  Small 
units  from  the  right  brigade  of  the  28th  Division  had  oc- 
cupied La  Forge  and  vicinity  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Aire 
River.  Thence  the  line  of  the  right  brigade  of  the  28th 
Division  swept  in  a  southwesterly  direction  along  the  edge 
of  the  steep  ridges  west  of  the  Aire  Valley  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Le  Menil  Farm.  The  left  brigade  held  the  line 
from  this  point  southerly  to  and  along  the  Chene  Tondu 
Ridge,  where  it  connected  with  the  right  of  the  77th  Divi- 
sion which,  in  turn,  continued  the  line  westerly  through  the 
Argonne  Forest  toward  Binarville.  Contact  with  the  38th 
French  Corps  on  the  left  of  the  77th  had  been  lost  and 
the  enemy,  taking  advantage  of  the  densely  wooded  terrain, 
had  infiltrated  behind  this  flank,  cutting  off  six  companies 
of  the  77th  Division  in  the  Charlevaux  Ravine.  Contact 
with  these  companies  was  not  regained  until  the  night  of 
October  7-8. 

The  upper  valley  of  the  Aire  River  was  a  No  Man's 
Land  between  the  1st  and  28th  Divisions,  penetrated  by 
small  patrols  during  the  night  by  both  enemy  and  Ameri- 
can forces.    The  country  to  the  east  of  the  Aire  afforded 


40  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

a  certain  amount  of  cover  from  due  north,  the  ravines 
having  in  general  an  east  and  west  direction.  These  ra- 
vines, however,  were  enfiladed  from  the  west  of  the  valley, 
where  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Argonne  Forest  rose  in  a  con- 
tinuous echelon  of  rugged  hills.  No  more  formidable 
natural  fortifications  are  to  be  found  on  the  entire  battle 
front  than  the'  precipitous  ridges  extending  from  Chatel- 
Chehery  and  west  of  Cornay  to  the  town  of  Marcq.  It  was 
this  enfilade  fire  of  both  machine  guns  and  artillery  which 
was  inflicting  very  serious  losses  on  the  left  brigade  of  the 
1st  Division.  Further  progress  on  the  entire  Corps  front 
was  almost  at  a  standstill,  for  the  enemy  had  rallied  his 
full  resources  to  prevent  further  American  progress  at  this 
vital  front  in  the  battle  line. 

Our  high  command  determined  upon  a  bold  and  hazard- 
ous expedient.  A  surprise  attack  must  be  driven  into  the 
enemy  flank  west  of  the  Aire  and  north  of  Chatel-Chehery. 
Troops  making  such  an  attack  would  be  exposed  to  counter- 
attack and  concentrated  artillery  and  machine  gun  fire 
from  west  and  north,  northeast  and  southwest.  If  the 
thrust  accomplished  its  purpose,  the  forest  would  be  cleared 
and  the  way  opened  for  a  substantial  American  advance 
with  slight  losses  by  troops  now  struggling  four  kilometers 
south  of  Chatel  Chehery  in  the  heart  of  the  forest.  If  this 
plan  of  attack  failed,  very  great  disaster  might  befall  the 
battalions  which  presented  an  open  flank  to  a  vigilant 
enemy,  but  if  the  assault  succeeded,  two-thirds  of  the  mis- 
sion of  the  1st  Corps,  as  stated  in  Field  Orders  17,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1918,  would  be  brilliantly  accomplished.  This  mis- 
sion was  stated: 
''(a)  To  reduce  the  Foret  d 'Argonne  by  flanking  it 
from  the  east. 

(b)  To  assist  in  cutting  off  hostile  artillery  fire  and 
observation  from  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Foret 
d 'Argonne. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  41 

(c)     Upon  arrival  at  the  Corps  objective,  the  1st  Corps 
will  advance  to  the  American  Army  objective  in 
conjunction  with  the  5th  Corps. '* 
In  selecting  the  82nd  Division  to  perform  this  thrust  into 
the  flanks  of  the  Argonne  Forest,  the  1st  Corps  had  hon- 
ored this  Division  with  a  heavy  share  of  its  expressed  mis- 
sion toward  which  it  had  been  bending  every  resource  for 
eleven  terrible  days. 


Long  Awaited  Battle  Order  Arrives 

At  12  hours  on  October  6,  the  following  telephone  mes- 
sage was  received  by  the  Chief  of  Staff,  82nd  Division, 
from  G-3,  1st  Corps: 

**  General  Rhodes  will  move  his  outfit  at  once,  from  his 
present  camp  by  way  of  the  two-way  road  through  La  Fille 
Morte  to  the  junction  of  the  Four-de-Paris- Varennes  road, 
thence  along  that  road,  to  Varennes.  The  movement  to 
start  at  once.  The  ultimate  destination  is  the  vicinity  of 
Charpentry.  General  Duncan  and  General  Rhodes  will 
report  at  once  to  General  Liggett  at  his  advance  P.  C. 
They  will  be  accompanied  by  a  suitable  officer  to  carry 
orders  to  General  Rhodes'  outfit  for  the  continuation  of 
its  march  beyond  Varennes.  Reconnaissances  will  be  at 
once  made  of  the  route  prescribed  from  the  present  camp 
to  Varennes  so  that  the  movement  will  not  be  delayed." 

A  copy  of  this  order  was  given  to  General  Rhodes  at 
Varennes,  who  dispatched  a  message  to  his  brigade  direct- 
ing it  to  complete  the  final  stage  of  the  march  directly  to 
Varennes  and  with  all  possible  haste. 

General  Duncan  proceeded  with  Colonel  Sheldon,  Chief 
of  Staff,  to  the  Advance  P.  C.  of  the  1st  Corps,  located 
in  dugouts  behind  the  ridge  three  or  four  kilometers  south- 
east of  Varennes.  General  Duncan  found  that  General 
Rhodes  had  already  been  notified  and  had  preceded  him. 


42  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

General  Duncan  was  informed  that  Major  General 
McAndrews,  Chief  of  Staff,  G.  H.  Q.,  and  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Drum,  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Army,  were  in  conference 
with  Major  General  Liggett,  commanding  1st  Corps,  After 
a  considerable  period,  these  officers  left  and  General  Dun- 
can was  informed  by  General  Liggett  that  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Craig,  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps,  would  give  him 
certain  instructions  affecting  the  82nd  Division.  General 
Craig  stated  that  the  82nd  Division  would  make  an  attack 
on  the  following  morning,  October  7,  1918.  The  attack 
would  be  made  across  the  Aire  in  a  westerly  direction 
between  Chatel-Chehery  and  Cornay.  The  28th  Division 
would  give  ground  permitting  the  82nd  Division  to  take 
up  the  territory  between  the  Aire  and  the  1st  Division. 
The  attack  would  be  made  by  one  brigade  supported  by 
the  artillery  of  the  82nd  Division  and  the  6th  Field  Artil- 
lery from  the  1st  Division.  General  Craig  stated  that  this 
assault  was  a  military  necessity  and  General  Liggett  was 
very  positive  in  his  purpose  to  have  the  attack  driven 
through  on  the  following  morning.  A  written  order  would 
be  communicated  later  to  the  Division,  but  meanwhile  all 
necessary  preparation  and  reconnaissance  must  be  made. 

General  Duncan  telephoned  to  Division  Headquarters 
directing  that  brigade,  regimental  and  battalion  com- 
manders be  assembled  in  Varennes.  He  then  returned  with 
Colonel  Sheldon  to  Divisional  P.  C.  at  Varennes,  arriving 
shortly  before  16  hours.  A  majority  of  the  battalion  com- 
manders of  the  Division  were  present  in  addition  to  regi- 
mental and  brigade  commanders.  The  Division  commander 
repeated  the  orders  received  from  the  Corps  and  named  the 
164:th  Infantry  Brigade  (Brig.  Gen.  Lindsey)  to  make  the 
attack.  He  further  directed  that  immediate  reconnaissance 
be  made  of  both  maneuver  ground  and  objective  before  dark- 
ness. General  Lindsey  with  several  of  his  officers  proceeded 
to  the  Baulny  Eidge  and  eastern  edge  of  Montrebeau  Woods, 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  48 

from  which  point  he  examined  the  terrain  to  the  north  and 
west.  Before  leaving  the  Divisional  P.  C.  General  Lindsey 
had  sent  word  to  the  units  of  his  brigade  to  make  prepara- 
tion for  an  immediate  move.  Reconnaissance  was  incom- 
plete when  night  fell  and  all  officers  returned  to  Varennes. 
General  Lindsey  remained  at  the  Division  P.  C.  while 
regimental  and  battalion  commanders  went  at  once  to 
their  commands.  General  Duncan  sent  General  Lindsey 
about  18  hours  to  the  P.  C.  of  the  1st  Division  located 
at  Cheppy,  to  arrange  cooperation  with  Major  General 
Summerall,  commanding.  General  Lindsey  returned  to 
the  Division  P.  C.  about  19:30  hours.  Colonel  Sheldon 
had  meanwhile  returned  to  Corps  Headquarters  to  await 
the  completion  of  the  Corps  order.  Between  21  and  22 
hours,  Colonel  Sheldon  came  to  the  Division  P.  C.  with 
the  written  Corps  order.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wainwright, 
G-3,  at  once  drafted  Division  Field  Order  No.  20,  and 
General  Lindsey  worked  simultaneously  upon  his  Brigade 
order.  Both  orders  were  then  submitted  to  General  Dun- 
can and  approved.  The  written  Brigade  order  was  given 
to  the  Regimental  Intelligence  Officers  about  23:25  hours. 

*'The  leading  elements  of  the  brigade  will  be  crossed 
over  the  Aire  River  via  the  bridge  at  La  Forge  and  im- 
provised foot  bridges  between  La  Forge  and  Fleville  and 
formed  along  the  railroad  track  running  along  the  west 
side  of  the  Aire  River  before  the  hour  for  attack,  covered 
by  active  patrols.  Rate  of  advance  of  infantry  units  from 
position  of  departure,  100  meters  in  three  minutes.  Front 
line  infantry  battalions  will  not  be  reinforced  but  will  be 
passed  through  by  support  battalions  when  they  are  defi- 
nitely slowed  down  by  enemy  resistance.  Combat  liaison 
detachment  consisting  of  one  company  of  infantry  and 
one  machine  gun  platoon  will  maintain  combat  liaison  with 
28th  Division  on  our  left;  one  company  of  infantry  and 
one  machine  gun  platoon  will  maintain  combat  liaison  with 
the  liaison  detachment  of  the  1st  Division  on  our  right 
near  the  bridge  at  Fleville.  *' 


44  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

The  order  further  provided  for  a  rolling  barrage  to  start 
at  5  hours,  200  meters  west  of  the  railroad  track,  and  to 
advance  in  a  westerly  direction  to  the  Division  and  Corps 
objectives. 


164th  Infantry  Brigade  Moves  Forward 

Meanwhile  the  327th  Infantry,  328th  Infantry  and  321st 
Machine  Gun  Battalion  had  been  moving  in  the  face  of 
every  conceivable  difficulty.  The  327th  Infantry  marched 
out  from  camp  at  18  hours  10  minutes.  Their  route  was 
the  Varennes-Baulny-Fleville  Eoad  to  the  Depot  de  Muni- 
tions at  point  183,  which  had  been  designated  as  Brigade 
P.  C.  Here  the  regiment  was  to  receive  its  final  orders 
for  the  morrow's  attack.  The  regiment  moved  out  in  the 
following  order: 

1st  Battalion, 

Machine  Gun  Company, 

Stokes  Mortar  and  1-pounder  platoons, 

2nd  Battalion, 

3rd  Battalion. 

The  321st  Machine  Gun  Battalion  (Captain  Holloway) 
followed  the  327th  Infantry.  The  1st  Battalion  of  the 
327th  Infantry  reached  point  183  at  22  hours  and  waited 
until  Captain  Drew,  the  Eegimental  Intelligence  Officer, 
arrived  from  Varennes  with  the  attack  order  for  the  bri- 
gade.   It  was  then  1  hour  10  minutes,  7  October. 

Colonel  Ely  held  a  conference  with  Major  Blalock  (1st 
Bn.)  and  Major  Blanchard  (2nd  Bn.).  They  managed  to 
contrive  sufficient  light  to  decipher  the  attack  order,  in 
pursuance  with  which  Colonel  Ely  made  his  dispositions. 
Major  Blalock  with  the  1st  Battalion  would  proceed  to  La 
Forge,  cross  the  river  and  deploy  for  attack  along  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  45 

railroad  east  of  Hill  180.  Major  Blanchard  was  sent  to 
Pleinchamp  Farm  with  the  2nd  Battalion  in  support  of 
the  attack  and  with  the  further  mission  of  meeting  all 
enemy  counter-attacks  down  the  Aire  Valley  from  the 
direction  of  Fleville.  Captain  Davis  with  the  3rd  Bat- 
talion remained  at  the  Depot  de  Munitions  in  Brigade  re- 
serve. Major  Blanchard  moved  out  shortly  thereafter  and 
at  2:30  hours  Major  Blalock  led  his  battalion  down  the 
road  toward  La  Forge. 

328th  Infantry 

The  328th  Infantry  had  been  ordered  to  follow  the  other 
units  of  the  Brigade.  It  left  camp  on  scheduled  time  at 
20  hours  in  the  following  order: 

1st  Battalion  (Major  Boyle), 

2nd  Battalion  (Captain  Tillman), 

3rd  Battalion  (Major  Johnson), 

Machine  Gun  Company  (Captain  Carr). 
After  leaving  the  forest  and  entering  the  little  vaUey 
west  of  Varennes,  the  regiment  was  ordered  by  the  Chief 
of  Staff  to  halt  and  permit  the  Artillery  Brigade  to  take 
the  right  of  way  into  Varennes.  The  1st  Battalion  dropped 
full  packs  and  made  up  combat  packs. 

At  midnight  the  Chief  of  Staff  directed  that  the  regi- 
ment filter  through  the  Artillery.  This  resulted  in  the 
most  intense  traf&c  congestion.  The  route  of  the  328th  In- 
fantry lay  through  Varennes,  thence  along  the  west  bank 
of  the  Aire  River  to  Montblainville,  where  it  crossed  the 
river  to  the  east  and  came  out  upon  the  main  army  Va- 
rennes-FleviUe  Road.  The  Regiment  was  compelled  to 
thread  its  course  in  small  detachments  and  maintained 
organization  only  by  admirable  discipline. 

General  Lindsey,  while  making  his  way  on  foot  to  Bri- 
gade P.  C.  at  the  Depot  de  Munitions,  passed  the  328th 


46  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Infantry  on  the  main  road  east  of  Montblainville  shortly 
before  3  hours.  From  the  camp  in  the  woods  west  of 
Varennes,  the  distance  by  road  to  the  Depot  de  Munitions 
was  approximately  ten  kilometers,  with  the  bridgehead  at 
La  Forge,  just  east  of  Chatel-Chehery,  some  two  kilometers 
farther. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Wetherill,  commanding  the  328th 
Infantry,  had  been  informed  that  guides  from  the  28th 
Division  would  wait  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Depot  de  Muni- 
tions to  conduct  the  assault  battalion  to  the  jumping  off  line. 
These  guides  were  never  encountered  and  it  is  presumed 
that  one  of  the  two  men  from  the  28th  Division  who  met 
the  1st  Battalion  of  the  327th  Infantry  on  the  cross-road 
to  La  Forge  was  intended  as  the  guide  for  the  assault 
battalion  of  the  328th  Infantry. 

In  consequence,  the  head  of  the  column  of  the  last  named 
regiment  proceeded  past  the  Depot  de  Munitions  to  the 
cross-road  running  to  Pleinchamp  Farm,  without  finding 
any  one  from  the  28th  Division.  Colonel  "Wetherill,  con- 
vinced that  he  had  proceeded  beyond  his  objective,  counter- 
marched the  troops  on  the  main  road  until  he  personally 
met  an  officer,  who  led  him  to  General  Lindsey  at  the 
Depot  de  Munitions.  Captain  Holloway,  commanding  the 
321st  M.  G.  Battalion,  was  sent  with  Colonel  Wetherill 
to  identify  the  cross-road  leading  to  La  Forge.  The 
1st  Battalion  at  once  deployed  in  attack  formation  in  the 
woods  Des  Granges,  about  one  kilometer  east  of  La  Forge. 
This  last  movement  was  accomplished  about  5  hours  30 
minutes,  October  7. 

An  Extraordinary  Maneuver 

The  events  of  the  night  of  October  6-7  can  not  be  judged 
by  any  ordinary  standards,  nor  can  an  adequate  opinion 
be  formed  of  the  merits  of  this  maneuver  unless  there 


82nd  division  IN  MEUSE-AIIG< 
—  Dotted  lines  indicate  temporal 
Solid  lines  indicate  organized  i 


oias^ 


^E  OFFENSIVE,  OCT.  6-10,  1918 
lositions  of  advance  units  during  the  day 
t  line  at  midnight 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  47 

is  some  understanding  of  the  physical  difficulties  which 
made  the  movement  a  nightmare  for  those  who  partici- 
pated. A  drizzle  of  rain  started  at  nightfall  October  6  and 
continued  throughout  the  night.  Eains  of  previous  days 
had  converted  all  routes  into  a  mire  of  heavy  mud.  Before 
a  vehicle  or  a  truck  or  a  gun  or  a  man  of  the  82nd  Divi- 
sion debouched  upon  the  highway,  the  congestion  of  traffic 
had  reached  a  point  prohibitive  of  anything  except  the 
most  painful  progress.  This  road  was  one  of  the  main 
arteries  for  ammunition,  food  supplies  and  other  traffic 
for  both  the  28th  and  1st  Divisions.  It  was  essential  that 
traffic  should  be  uninterrupted  by  the  movement  of  the 
82nd  Division.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  157th  Field 
Artillery  Brigade,  pursuant  to  orders  received  at  mid- 
day, October  6,  was  during  this  whole  day  and  night 
moving  across  the  No  Man's  Land  bog  in  the  Argonne 
Forest,  through  Varennes,  to  the  vicinity  of  Charpentry. 
Our  artillery  was  therefore  mingled  with  a  mass  of  moving 
trucks  and  horse  transport  of  the  1st  Division  and  the 
28th  Division.  To  this  swollen  stream  was  added  two  regi- 
ments of  Infantry  and  a  battalion  of  machine  gunners. 
The  night  was  black  beyond  the  power  of  any  human  eye 
to  penetrate  more  than  a  short  pace  ahead.  The  Infantry 
was  compelled  to  move  in  the  gutters  on  both  sides  of 
the  road.  Machine  gun  carts  slipped  into  such  gaps  and 
intervals  as  presented  themselves.  For  a  half  hour  at  a 
time,  the  whole  struggling  mass  would  be  at  a  halt,  until 
officers  and  M.  P.'s  could  find  the  center  of  the  jam  and 
unravel  the  tangle.  Once  Colonel  Wetherill  and  Captain 
Tommasello  at  the  head  of  a  column  pulled  a  dead  man 
and  his  dead  horse  off  the  road  to  enable  our  vehicles  to 
proceed. 

In  addition  to  these  appalling  difficulties  it  must  be  con- 
sidered that  our  troops  were  moving  up  the  Aire  Yalley 
into  a  No  Man's  Land  between  the  1st  and  the  28th  Divi- 


48  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

sions  over  a  road,  every  yard  of  which  was  familiar  to  the 
enemy  by  four  years  of  occupation.  Enemy  flares  and  star 
shells  lighted  the  valley  at  intervals  and  made  the  suc- 
ceeding darkness  more  intense.  German  gunners  pounded 
the  entire  terrain  throughout  the  night  with  shell  fire, 
searching  the  east  and  west  ravines  for  hidden  artillery 
and  harassing  the  road  without  cessation.  This  was  en- 
dured with  fortitude  by  troops  in  totally  unfamiliar 
country  and  in  darkness  which  made  it  impossible  to  seek 
cover  or  retaliate  against  an  enemy  firing  from  some  dis- 
tant ridge.  Almost  every  unit  suffered  some  casualties. 
Nothing  but  discipline  and  cooperation  of  the  highest 
order  could  prevent  absolute  disintegration.  As  a  peace- 
time maneuver,  it  was  obviously  a  problem  impossible  of 
solution.  That  it  was  attended  by  so  considerable  a  meas- 
ure of  success  was  due  to  the  fact  that  all  ranks  were 
imbued  with  the  conviction  that  the  movement  was  of  para- 
mount necessity. 

In  telling  the  story  of  this  Division,  it  must  not  be  for- 
gotten that  troops  from  the  82nd  Division  were  face  to 
face  with  the  enemy  before  midnight  on  the  6th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1918,  and  that  any  record  of  days  spent  in  continuous 
contact  and  action  in  the  Mouse- Argonne  operations  must 
accept  the  6th  of  October  as  the  entry  of  this  Division, 
into  the  conflict. 

A  detailed  description  of  the  kaleidoscope  events  of 
the  next  few  days  will  be  less  confusing  if  a  paragraph 
is  given  to  outline  the  first  phase  of  the  Division's  opera- 
tions in  this  offensive,  namely  the  period  October  6  to 
October  10,  1918,  inclusive. 

The  attack  of  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade  on  October 
7,  1918,  won  the  first  objective  assigned.  This  success 
placed  the  327th  Infantry  on  Hill  180,  the  right  of  the 
Brigade  sector,  and  the  328th  Infantry  on  Hill  223,  the  left 
of  the  sector.     On  October  8,  the   327th  Infantry  was 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  49 

unable  to  enter  Comay  during  daylight,  but  did  seize  and 
occupy  the  town  during  the  night  of  October  8-9.  On 
this  same  day,  the  second  day  of  the  attack,  the  328th 
Infantry  advanced  west  two  kilometers  to  the  Decauville 
railroad.  The  formidable  ridges  west  of  Cornay  to  Pylone 
remained  in  enemy  possession. 

On  October  9,  the  Germans  counter-attacked  the  327th 
Infantry  in  Cornay,  and  captured  the  town  with  heavy 
casualties  on  both  sides.  We  retained  possession  of  Hill 
180.  The  328th  Infantry  attacked  north  along  the  rail- 
road toward  Pylone  and  gained  ground,  which  later  in  the 
day  was  retaken  by  the  enemy,  and  the  Regiment  stood  at 
night  on  the  same  line  from  which  it  had  jumped  off 
in  the  morning.  The  326th  Infantry  from  the  163rd  In- 
fantry Brigade  relieved  the  28th  Division  west  of  Chatel- 
Chehery  on  the  morning  of  October  9  and  advanced  north- 
west, forming  a  line  that  night  in  liaison  with  the  328th 
Infantry  and  extending  southwest. 

On  October  10,  the  325th  Infantry,  relieving  the  327th 
Infantry,  and  the  328th  Infantry,  attacked  north  in  con- 
junction with  the  326th  Infantry,  clearing  the  enemy  en- 
tirely from  the  eastern  half  of  the  Argonne  Forest,  and 
seizing  all  territory  south  of  St.  Juvin  and  the  Aire  River. 


CHAPTER  VI 

164th  infantry  BRIGADE  JUMPS  OFF 

Attack  of  1st  Battalion,  327th  Infantry,  October  7, 

1918 

The  incident  of  missing  guides  and  the  condition  of 
traffic  conspired  to  prevent  a  coordinated  attack  by  the 
assaulting  battalions  of  the  two  regiments.  Major  Blalock 
reached  the  vicinity  of  La  Forge  with  the  1st  Battalion, 
327th  Infantry,  at  about  3  hours,  7th  October.  Roads  lead- 
ing to  this  point  and  the  buildings  in  the  vicinity  were 
under  harassing  shell  fire.  The  bridge  crossing  the  river 
had  been  destroyed  and  the  majority  of  the  battalion 
crossed  by  fording  the  river,  which  was  between  two  and 
three  feet  deep  at  this  point.  Passage  of  the  river  began 
at  about  4  hours.  Major  Blalock  personally  stood  upon 
the  west  bank  and  assisted  man  after  man  to  clamber  up 
the  sharp  slope.  A  detachment  of  divisional  engineers  had 
laid  boards  from  stone  to  stone  and  some  of  the  men  crossed 
on  them  in  single  file.  The  Battalion  marched  north  a 
short  distance  along  the  west  bank  of  the  river  and  formed 
for  the  attack  on  the  railroad  track  just  east  of  Hill  180. 

Promptly  at  5  hours  the  assault  was  made  by  C  and  D 
Companies,  supported  by  Companies  A  and  B,  the  327th 
Infantry,  Machine  Gun  Company,  37  mm.  and  the  Stokes 
Mortar  Platoons.  A  heavy  mist  hung  over  the  entire  valley 
and  the  enemy  appeared  to  be  completely  surprised  by  the 
advance  of  this  battalion. 

50 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  51 

Hill  180  is  a  hump  of  land  about  a  kilometer  in  lengtli 
in  a  north  and  south  line.  It  rises  close  to  the  river  bank 
and  dominates  the  flat  marsh  land  east  of  the  river.  The 
assaulting  companies  found  some  wire  on  the  east  slope 
and  picked  up  a  detachment  of  prisoners.  Captain  Harri- 
son (Co.  C.)  sent  the  following  message  to  Battalion  Head- 
quarters : 

''Going  good.  Captured  39  prisoners  and  3  machine 
guns.    No  casualties  yet.'' 

The  entire  hill  was  in  American  possession  by  8  hours 
30  minutes,  including  the  Ravin  de  Boulasson  west  of  the 
hill.  Eighty-one  prisoners  and  four  machine  guns  were 
captured.  At  this  point  the  advance  was  subjected  to  very 
heavy  artillery  and  machine  gun  fire  which  swept  the 
crest  of  the  slope.  Enemy  fire  came  from  the  northeast 
near  Fleville,  northwest  from  the  heights  of  Comay,  west 
from  the  cliff -like  ridges  that  bordered  the  Argonne  Forest 
and  southwest  from  Hill  223.  Heavy  casualties  were  suf- 
fered and  the  battalion  was  without  support  on  either 
flank.  The  battalion  dug  in  and  returned  the  enemy  fire 
with  all  available  weapons.  Later  in  the  day  Company  H, 
327th  Infantry,  and  a  platoon  from  Company  A,  321st 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  joined  Major  Blalock,  pursuant 
to  orders.  Lieut.  W.  P.  Pinnell,  commanding  this  ma- 
chine gun  platoon,  received  wounds  from  which  he  later 
died.  It  was  on  this  hill  that  Lieutenant  Schiller  of  the 
same  machine  gun  company  was  severely  wounded. 

Attack  of  1st  Battalion,  328th  Infantry,  October  7, 

1918 

The  story  of  this  day's  events  now  turns  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  left  regiment  of  the  brigade — the  328th  In- 
fantry— against  Hill  223,  about  one  kilometer  southwest 


52  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

of  Hill  180.  This  formidable  position  rises  in  a  steep  clifp 
on  its  eastern  side  just  north  of  Chatel-Chehery  and  about 
one-half  kilometer  west  from  the  Aire  River.  The  west 
slope  of  the  hill  is  relatively  less  steep  but  a  sulBficient 
obstacle  to  take  the  breath  of  a  strong  man  in  a  steady 
climb.  From  the  crest  of  this  hill  one  may  see  the  Aire 
Valley,  both  north  and  south.  From  such  an  observation 
point  the  road  from  Yarennes  to  Fleville  is  visible  at  many 
points.  A  partial  trench  system  with  wire  ran  lengthwise 
on  the  hill  and  two  concrete  emplacements  for  large  mor- 
tars had  been  located  by  the  enemy  on  the  western  slope. 
The  enemy  artillery  itself  had  been  withdrawn  some  time 
before  the  American  assault  and  German  artillery  posi- 
tions were  located  on  the  semicircular  ridge  running  from 
northwest  of  Hill  223  to  Cornny. 

When  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  328th  Infantry  formed  for 
the  attack  in  the  woods  Des  Granges,  one  kilometer  east 
of  La  Forge,  it  was  already  daylight.  Companies  A  and 
C  moved  out  as  assault  companies  and  marched  about  half 
way  to  La  Forge.  Companies  B  and  D  were  in  support 
in  the  woods  named.  A  heavy  fog  which  rested  on  the 
valley  rendered  it  quite  impossible  to  see  more  than  one 
hundred  meters  in  front.  The  enemy  put  down  a  heavy 
shell  fire  extending  from  the  ford  at  the  river  along  the 
road  east  to  the  woods  Des  Granges.  Colonel  Wetherill, 
under  these  conditions  of  visibility,  could  not  see  his  ob- 
jective or  determine  how  far  the  movement  of  events  in 
the  two  hours  elapsed  since  zero-hour  had  altered  his  mis- 
sion. Furthermore,  he  felt  that  artillery  support  would 
be  required.  The  advance  was  halted  and  the  men  of  A 
and  C  Companies  secured  what  slight  protection  was  avail- 
able in  the  ditches  on  each  side  of  the  road  and  in  small 
folds  of  the  ground  in  the  fields  on  either  side. 

In  order  to  make  a  clearer  estimate  of  the  situation  the 
Regimental  Commander  proceeded  to  La  Forge  and  estab- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  SST 

lished  the  Regimental  P.  C.  in  a  culvert  wEieh  was  occu- 
pied jointly  with  a  small  detachment  of  signal  troops  from 
the  28th  Division.  Considerable  time  elapsed  in  these 
movements  and  in  attempts  at  reconnaissance  and  investi- 
gation of  the  assigned  objective.  For  a  time  it  was  thought 
that  the  steep  slopes  of  Hill  244,  southwest  of  Chatel- 
Chehery,  might  be  the  Hill  223  for  which  they  were  seek- 
ing. As  the  mist  lifted  later  in  the  morning,  men  who 
proved  to  be  from  the  28th  Division,  were  seen  clinging  to 
the  lofty  east  bank  of  Hill  244  just  west  of  the  town.  A 
steady  stream  of  machine  gun  fire  came  from  the  plateau 
which  crowns  Hill  244  and  swept  from  time  to  time  the 
vicinity  of  La  Forge  and  the  road  running  east  of  La 
Forge.  It  was  finally  determined  to  make  the  attack  with 
B  and  D  Companies,  still  located  in  the  woods  Des  Granges, 
passing  them  through  A  and  B  Companies,  which  had 
been  subjected  to  heavy  shell  fire  for  several  hours.  Major 
Boyle  went  forward  with  B  and  D  Companies,  and  estab- 
lished his  P.  C.  at  La  Forge  in  conjunction  with  the  Regi- 
mental P.  C. 

Capture  op  Hill  223 

Simultaneously  H  Company  advanced  on  the  left  flank 
as  th^  liaison  unit  between  the  82nd  and  28th  Divisions. 
The  advance  of  these  three  companies  was  performed  in 
the  most  gallant  manner  under  artillery  fire  of  barrage- 
like intensity.  Men  fell  and  survivors  filled  the  gaps.  The 
line  swept  to  the  river  and  struggled  through  the  water 
to  the  opposite  bank.  The  conduct  of  these  troops  was 
observed  by  men  of  the  28th  Division  in  Chatel-Chehery 
and  a  report  commending  their  bearing  was  made  by  Briga- 
dier General  Nolan  of  the  28th  Division,  in  Chatel-Chehery, 
to  the  Headquarters  of  the  28th  Division.  This  assault 
started  from  the  woods  Des  Granges' at  11:15  and  reached 


54  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

the  river  at  11 :55.  After  crossing  the  river,  B  Company 
and  two  platoons  of  D  Company  advanced  northwest  en- 
veloping Hill  223  from  the  long  spur  jutting  out  north 
of  the  hill.  Captain  Lewis  of  D  Company  with  two  pla- 
toons made  for  the  gap  at  the  south  end  of  Hill  223.  The 
purpose  of  this  maneuver  was  to  pinch  out  any  forces  on 
the  hill  by  a  simultaneous  assault  from  the  north  and 
south.  The  hill  was  completely  occupied  by  these  two  com- 
panies at  13  hours. 

Shortly  after  reaching  the  hill  Captain  Douglass  of  B 
Company  was  wounded  and  the  same  fate  shortly  Befell 
Lieutenants  Cabaniss  and  Edens  of  B  Company.  Lieu- 
tenant Day  then  took  command  of  B  Company.  Lieu- 
tenant Brown  had  meanwhile  reported  with  H  Company 
to  General  Nolan  at  his  dugout  in  Chatel-Chehery,  the 
latter  town  having  been  occupied  in  force  that  morning 
by  the  28th  Division.  H  Company  was  held  for  a  time  in 
Chatel-Chehery  and  that  evening  a  part  of  the  Company 
reinforced  Captain  Lewis. 

Since  the  armistice  it  has  been  stated  by  some  officers 
of  the  109th  Infantry  (28th  Division)  that  Hill  223  was 
occupied  by  their  forces  prior  to  the  arrival  on  the  hill 
of  the  328th  Infantry. 

A  painstaking  inquiry  in  this  connection  reveals  the 
following  situation:  Companies  B  and  D,  328th. Infantry, 
received  machine  gun  fire  from  the  north  slope  of  Hill  223 
during  their  advance.  Lieutenant  Cabaniss'  platoon  (B 
Company)  took  some  twenty  German  prisoners  on  the 
north  slope  of  Hill  233.  Lieutenant  Candler  of  D  Com- 
pany proceeded  with  two  platoons  of  D  Company  up  the 
north  side  of  Hill  223  and  organized  a  position  on  the 
military  crest  on  the  western  side  of  the  hill.  Lieutenant 
Candler  did  not  see  any  men  from  the  28th  Division. 
Captain  Lewis  (D  Company),  who  had  gone  with  two 
platoons  to  the  south  slope  of  Hill  223,  went  up  to  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  55 

crest  of  the  hill  a  few  minutes  after  Lieutenant  Candler 
had  arrived  from  the  opposite  slope.  Captain  Lewis  found 
a  lieutenant  and  not  over  a  squad  of  men  in  fox  holes  on 
the  extreme  peak  of  the  hill  near  the  cliff  which  overlooks 
the  river  to  the  east.  The  lieutenant  stated  that  he  had 
arrived  at  about  11  hours  that  day  but  had  seen  no  Ger- 
mans and  had  not  fired  a  shot.  About  the  same  time  Lieu- 
tenant Brown  of  H  Company  came  on  the  hill  from  Chatel- 
Chehery  and  saw  this  little  detachment  of  the  28th  Divi- 
sion. Hence  it  is  apparent  that  no  attempt  had  been  made 
to  occupy  or  organize  the  hill  in  sufficient  force  to  hold 
it  and  that  Germans  and  Americans  were  simultaneously 
in  possession.  It  is  especially  significant  that  German 
prisoners  captured  on  the  hill  were  more  than  double  the 
number  of  the  patrol  from  the  28th  Division. 

Liaison  was  established  with  a  detachment  of  the  28th 
Division  located  south  of  Hill  223  on  Hill  244  and  it  was 
agreed  that  an  attack  would  be  made  at  once  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Corps  objective — ^the  Decauville  railroad,  two 
kilometers  farther  west.  At  about  14  hours  Companies 
B  and  D  started  forward  and  advanced  about  two  hundred 
meters  into  the  valley  west  of  Hill  223.  At  this  point  they 
were  met  by  machine  gun  fire  from  the  front  and  both 
flanks,  heavy  fire  coming  from  the  southwest  in  front  of 
the  28th  Division.  This  was  followed  by  an  Infantry  coun- 
ter-attack from  the  west  and  north  under  cover  of  a 
machine  gun  barrage.  Our  men  withdrew  up  the  slopes 
of  Hill  223  behind  the  wire  on  the  crest,  where  hard  fight- 
ing followed  at  close  range.  The  Americans  succeeded  in 
pushing  back  the  enemy  line  from  this  point,  and  when 
darkness  fell  both  sides  were  dug  in  at  close  range,  the 
Americans  on  the  crest  and  the  Germans  on  the  upper 
slopes  of  the  hill. 

Severe  casualties  were  suffered  by  both  companies  in  re- 
pelling this  counter-attack.    In  fact,  the  German  assault 


56  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

was  so  nearly  successful  that  a  runner  coming  into  the 
Regimental  P.  C.  at  La  Forge  reported  on  his  own  au- 
thority that  the  hill  had  been  lost  and  both  companies 
wiped  out.  A  written  message  from  the  hill  shortly  after- 
ward gave  evidence  that  such  was  not  the  case.  This 
counter-attack  fell  also  upon  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  327th 
Infantry  on  Hill  180.  Here,  too,  the  attempt  was  repulsed. 
Many  casualties  were  caused  in  both  of  these  American 
regiments  by  the  barrage  which  fell  along  our  front  at 
about  17  hours.  "While  the  objective  assigned  by  the  Corps 
had  not  yet  been  reached,  a  foothold  had  been  obtained 
by  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade  on  two  strong  natural 
positions  from  which  future  assaults  could  be  launched  at 
the  heart  of  the  German  stronghold  in  the  upper  Argonne 
Forest. 

Attack  ©f  the  164te[  Infantry  Brigade,  October  8, 1918. 

About  23  hours,  October  7,  Brigade  Field  Order  No.  2 
reached  the  regiments  directing  that  the  attack  be  re- 
sumed the  following  morning,  October  8,  at  5  hours.  H 
hour  was  later  changed  to  6  hours.  Information  from 
higher  authority  was  as  follows: 

*'The  enemy  is  reported  retreating  generally  towards  the 
northwest.  French  are  attacking  northeast  from  Lancon. 
The  Commander-in-Chief  directs  that  a  powerful  thrust 
be  made  to  cut  off  the  ridge  and  railroad  due  west." 

The  plan  of  attack  for  the  Brigade  stipulated  that  the 
Corps  objective  should  be  taken  by  noon.  The  attack  was 
to  be  preceded  by  harassing  fire  by  our  artillery  on  Hill 
151,  Cornay,  and  the  ridges  east  and  southwest  of  Cornay. 
In  addition  a  rolling  barrage  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
meters  in  three  minutes  was  to  be  laid  until  the  objective 
was  reached.  The  319th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  was 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Commanding  Officer,  327tli 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  57 

Infantry  and  reported  at  Pleinchamps  Farm  during  the 
night  Oct.  7-8.  In  addition,  the  3rd  Battalion,  328th 
Infantry,  was  transferred  from  Brigade  Reserve  and 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  Colonel  Ely,  commanding  the 
327th  Infantry.  Throughout  this  entire  flank  operation, 
the  higher  command  anticipated  the  probability  of  enemy; 
counter-attacks  upon  the  exposed  right  flank  of  the  brigade. 

In  the  327th  Infantry,  Colonel  Ely  directed  that  the  1st 
Battalion  should  resume  the  attack  at  H  hour,  supported 
by  the  3rd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry  (Major  Johnson). 
The  2nd  Battalion,  327th  Infantry,  less  F  Company  (held 
to  meet  possible  attacks  from  the  vicinity  of  Fleville), 
v/ould  be  the  reserve  battalion.  Major  Johnson  reported 
to  Colonel  Ely  at  about  2  hours,  8th  of  October,  and  re- 
ceived his  orders.  As  the  3rd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry, 
approached  Hill  180  just  before  daybreak,  a  heavy  enemy 
barrage  caught  these  troops  while  the  column  was  fording 
the  river  and  continued  with  such  intensity  that  L  and  M 
Companies  were  dispersed  for  the  time  being  and  did  not 
arrive  upon  the  hill  in  time  to  participate  in  the  attack, 
which  was  launched  promptly  at  6  hours. 

During  the  night,  orders  from  Headquarters,  1st  Corps, 
changed  the  compass  direction  of  the  assault  units,  order- 
ing an  attack  to  be  directed  north  rather  than  in  a  north- 
westerly direction.  This  change  reached  the  front  bat- 
talion of  the  327th  Infantry  at  about  6  hours  30  minutes 
and  the  correction  was  effected  with  some  difficulty.  I  and 
K  Companies,  328th  Infantry,  were  on  the  right  flank  of 
Companies  D  and  A,  327th  Infantry.  The  change  of  ob- 
jective, however,  was  not  known  to  the  assaulting  battalion 
of  the  328th  Infantry  until  about  10  hours  30  minutes  that 
forenoon,  when  the  information  reached  the  battalion  com- 
mander under  very  dramatic  circumstances.  A  runner 
from  the  battalion  noted  a  dead  runner  near  the  dugout 
south  of  Hill  223,  which  constituted  the  regimental  P.  C. 


58  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

He  felt  in  the  upper  left-hand  pocket  of  the  dead  runner's 
coat  and  discovered  the  order  which  directed  an  attack  to 
the  north.  The  assault  battalion  of  the  328th  Infantry- 
had  at  that  time  been  fighting  its  way  ten  degrees  north 
of  west  for  four  and  one-half  hours,  with  both  flanks 
wholly  unprotected.  The  flanks  of  the  327th  Infantry  were 
similarly  exposed. 

The  327th  Infantry  continued  its  struggle  all  day  against 
continuous  machine  gun  and  artillery  fire  from  the  front 
and  flanks.  The  line,  however,  was  unable  to  advance 
beyond  the  eastern  and  southeastern  borders  of  the  town 
of  Comay.  During  the  day  the  2nd  Battalion,  327th  In- 
fantry (Major  Blanchard),  crossed  the  river  and  took  up 
a  position  in  support  on  Hill  180.  That  same  forenoon, 
Major  Johnson,  328th  Infantry,  was  evacuated  and  the 
command  of  the  3rd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry,  passed  to 
Captain  Clarkson.  Major  Blanchard  was  joined  on  the 
reverse  slope  of  Hill  180  by  a  platoon  from  the  319th 
Machine  Gun  Battalion. 

Attack  of  2nd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry^ 
October  8,  1918 

In  the  328th  Infantry,  the  2nd  Battalion  had  moved  west 
across  the  Aire  Eiver  with  orders  to  pass  the  lines  of  the 
1st  Battalion  on  Hill  223  and  jump  off  at  6  hours,  October 
8,  1918,  with  a  compass  direction  ten  degrees  north  of 
west.  Their  objective  was  the  Decauville  railroad,  two 
kilometers  away.  The  328th  Infantry  Machine  Gun 
Company  and  the  one-pounder  and  trench  mortar  platoons, 
also  of  the  328th  Infantry,  were  moved  to  Hill  223  and 
Chatel-Chehery  for  the  purpose  of  supporting  the  attack. 

The  2nd  Battalion  of  the  328th  Infantry  assaulted  with 
E  Company  on  the  right  and  G  Company  on  the  left,  and 
with  F  and  H  Companies  in  support  respectively  at  six 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  59 

hundred  meters.  The  record  of  this  battalion  on  that  day 
constitutes  a  very  splendid  page  in  the  history  of  the  divi- 
sion. Under  steady  and  intense  machine  gun  fire  from  the 
northwest  and  southwest,  this  battalion  maneuvered  down 
the  long  western  slope  of  Hill  223,  crossed  the  five  hun- 
dred yards  of  open  valley,  fought  its  way  through  a  kilom- 
eter of  heavy  woods  w^hich  covered  the  precipitous  spur 
protruding  into  the  center  of  the  valley  from  the  west  and 
dug  in  along  the  Corps  objective,  the  Decauville  Railroad, 
at  17  hours  that  afternoon.  It  had  no  liaison  with  the 
troops  attacking  to  the  north  of  Hill  180,  over  a  kilometer 
away.  For  most  of  the  day  it  was  without  contact  with 
units  of  the  28th  Division,  also  attacking  in  a  westerly 
direction  from  Chatel-Chehery.  By  nightfall  this  battalion 
had  taken  some  270  prisoners  and  left  more  than  one 
hundred  dead  Germans  on  the  ground.  It  had  captured 
the  astonishing  total  of  123  machine  guns,  a  battery  of 
four  field  pieces,  two  trench  mortars,  a  set  of  electrical 
field  signal  equipment  complete,  four  anti-tank  guns  and 
a,  quantity  of  German  small  arms  and  ammunition  of  sev- 
eral varieties. 

As  the  result  of  a  day  spent  in  charging  and  outflank- 
ing machine  gun  nests  and  crawling  across  an  exposed  val- 
ley, the  battalion  had  suffered  about  350  casualties,  of 
whom  forty-five  were  killed.  Among  the  dead  was  2rd 
Lt.  K.  P.  Stewart,  G  Company,  who,  when  shot  in  the  leg, 
continued  to  puU  himself  along,  waving  encouragement 
to  his  men  until  a  second  bullet  crashed  through  his  head 
and  robbed  his  platoon  of  a  very  gallant  leader. 

One  exploit  in  this  day's  work  will  always  be  retold  in 
the  military  tradition  of  our  country.  It  is  entitled  to 
a  place  among  the  famous  deeds  in  arms  of  legendary 
or  modern  warfare.  Early  in  the  attack  of  this  battalion, 
the  progress  of  G  Company  on  the  left  was  seriously  im- 
peded by  heavy  machine  gun  fire  from  a  hill  directly  south- 


€0  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

west  across  the  valley  from  Hill  223.  Although  this  ter- 
ritory was  south  of  the  zone  of  action  assigned  the  82nd 
Division,  it  was  necessary  to  reduce  this  fire  or  suffer  dis- 
astrous consequences. 

A  force  of  four  non-commissioned  officers  and  thirteen 
privates  was  sent  from  the  left  support  platoon  of  G  Com- 
pany to  encircle  the  hill  and  silence  the  enemy  guns.  This 
detachment,  under  Acting  Sergeant  Early,  encircled  the 
hill  from  the  southeast  and  by  a  very  skilful  reconnais- 
sance passed  through  the  heavy  woods  on  the  east  crest 
and  descended  to  the  wooded  ravine  on  the  west  side  of 
the  hill.  The  detachment  in  working  through  the  under- 
brush came  upon  a  German  battalion  estimated  to  contain 
about  250  men,  a  considerable  number  of  whom  were  ma- 
chine gunners.  Orders  taken  later  from  the  pocket  of  the 
German  battalion  commander  proved  that  the  mission  of 
this  battalion  was  to  launch  a  counter-attack  against  the 
left  flank  of  our  attack  at  10  hours  30  minutes.  About 
seventy-five  Germans  were  crowded  around  their  battalion 
commander,  apparently  engaged  in  receiving  final  instruc- 
tions. A  force  of  machine  gunners  and  infantrymen,  how- 
ever, were  lying  in  fox  holes  fifty  yards  away  on  the  west- 
ern slope  of  the  hill.  Other  machine  gun  detachments  were 
located  on  the  north  and  northeast  slopes  of  this  same 
wooded  hill. 

The  handful  of  Americans,  led  by  Corporal  Early,  ap- 
peared as  a  complete  surprise  to  this  German  battalion. 
The  large  body  of  Germans  surrounding  the  German  bat- 
talion commander  began  surrendering  to  our  men,  whom 
the  enemy  supposed  to  be  the  leading  element  of  a  large 
American  force  which  had  enveloped  their  position. 

German  machine  gunners  on  the  hillside,  however, 
quickly  reversed  their  guns  and  poured  a  hail  of  bullets 
into  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  killing  six  and  wounding 
three  of  the  American  detachment.     All  of  the  non-com- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISIOiNT  61 

missioned  officers  were  killed  or  seriously  wounded  except 
Corp.  Alvin  C.  York  of  Pall  Mall,  Tenn.  With  Corporal 
York  were  seven  privates,  four  of  whom  were  mostly 
occupied  in  covering  with  their  rifles  the  large  group  of 
German  infantrymen  who  had  thrown  down  their  arms  at 
the  first  surprise.  A  few  shots  were  fired  by  the  remain- 
ing three  Americans,  but  the  chief  burden  of  initiative  and 
achievement  fell  upon  Corporal  York. 

Crouching  close  to  the  huddle  of  German  prisoners,  he 
engaged  in  a  rapid  fire  action  with  the  machine  gunners 
and  infantrymen  on  the  hillside.  The  return  fire  struck 
just  behind  him^,  due  to  the  fact  that  careful  shooting 
from  the  hillside  was  necessary  by  the  Germans  to  avoid 
injuring  their  own  men  a  few  feet  in  front  of  Corporal 
York.  The  American  fired  all  the  rifle  ammunition  clips 
on  the  front  of  his  belt  and  then  three  complete  clips 
from  his  automatic  pistol.  In  days  past,  he  had  won  many 
a  turkey  shoot  with  the  rifle  and  pistol  in  the  Tennessee 
mountains,  and  it  is  believed  that  he  wasted  no  ammuni- 
tion on  this  day.  Once  a  lieutenant  on  the  hillside  led  a 
counter-attack  of  a  dozen  gunners  and  infantrymen  against 
this  extraordinary  marksman,  w^ho  shot  the  lieutenant 
through  the  stomach  and  killed  others  before  the  sur- 
vivors took  cover.  German  morale  gave  way  entirely 
and  the  battalion  commander  surrendered  his  command. 
Corporal  York  placed  himself  between  two  German  officers 
at  the  head  of  the  column  and  distributed  the  seven  Amer- 
icans on  guard  along  the  flanks  and  in  rear  of  the  hastily 
formed  column  of  prisoners.  On  his  way  back  over  the 
hill  he  picked  up  a  considerable  number  of  additional 
prisoners  from  the  north  and  northeast  slopes  of  the  hill. 
When  he  reported  at  the  Battalion  P.  C,  Lieutenant 
Woods,  the  Battalion  Adjutant,  2nd  Battalion,  328th  In- 
fantry, counted  the  prisoners  and  found  that  they  totaled 
three  officers  and  129  enlisted  men.    The  prisoners  proved 


62  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

to  be  part  of  the  45th  Reserve  Division.  The  three  wounded 
Americans  were  brought  in  with  the  column.  The  six  dead 
Americans  were  buried  later  where  they  had  fallen.  Dur- 
ing the  forenoon  Lieutenant  Cox  passed  the  scene  of  this 
fight  with  a  portion  of  F  Company.  He  estimates  that 
approximately  twenty  dead  Germans  lay  on  the  hillside. 

After  the  armistice,  Corporal  York  received  the  personal 
thanks  of  Major  Greneral  Duncan,  the  Division  Commander, 
Major  General  Summerall,  Commanding  5th  Corps,  and 
General  Pershing,  the  Commander-in-Chief.  He  also  was 
given  the  Congressional  Medal  of  Honor  and  the  Croix  de 
Guerre. 

Throughout  the  day  the  assaulting  battalions  of  both 
regiments  received  a  continuous  and  costly  fire  from  the 
ridge  named  Champ rocher,  running  generally  west  from 
Cornay  to  Pylone,  the  latter  an  enemy  observation  station. 
The  sides  of  this  ridge  rise  up  like  the  walls  of  a  tower 
and  the  summit  was  strongly  held  with  men  and  machine 
guns.  One  platoon  of  E  Company  and  a  platoon  from 
F  Company,  both  328th  Infantry,  during  the  day  en- 
deavored to  scale  this  ridge  and  silence  the  fire.  Both 
thrusts  were  staunchly  made,  but  were  totally  inadequate 
to  gain  and  maintain  possession  of  this  natural  fortress. 

3rd  Battalion,  327th  Infantry,  October  8,  1918 

The  3rd  Battalion  of  the  327th  Infantry  (Captain 
Davis)  had  meanwhile  been  held  as  Brigade  reserve  at  the 
Depot  de  Munitions.  About  midday,  the  8th  of  October, 
1918,  this  battalion  was  ordered  forward  to  Hill  223,  to 
report  to  the  Commanding  Officer,  328th  Infantry.  Colonel 
Wetherill  directed  Captain  Davis  to  assault  the  Ridge 
Champrocher  and  to  hold  the  road  on  the  summit.  This 
attack  was  made  at  16  hours  the  same  afternoon.  After  I 
and  M  Companies  had  jumped  off  from  Hill  223,  orders 


Sgt.  Alvin  C.  York,  Co.  G,  328th  Infantry 
Scene  of  the  memorable  exploit 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  63 

were  received  that  K  and  L  Companies  would  be  held  at 
Hill  223  as  Brigade  Reserve. 

The  assault  was  made  without  an  accompanying  bar- 
rage. Officers  and  men  of  the  328th  Infantry  who  wit- 
nessed the  attack  of  these  two  companies  from  the  other 
regiment  describe  its  gallantry  with  unmeasured  praise. 
I  and  M  Companies  advanced  in  perfect  waves  like  men 
at  drill.  As  they  crossed  the  valley,  men  went  down  like 
ten-pins  before  a  ball,  but  the  survivors  gained  the  crest 
of  the  hill.  There  were  approximately  sixty  men  left  in 
each  company,  and  this  number  was  not  sufficient  to  retain 
a  footing  upon  the  ridge  against  the  great  numbers  of 
Germans  that  swarmed  the  entire  length  of  the  road  to 
Pylone.  The  enemy  succeeded  in  creeping  about  the  flanks 
of  these  units  and  many  of  our  men  were  shot  down  by  ma- 
chine guns  from  the  right  and  left  rear.  When  darkness 
came,  it  was  necessary  to  withdraw  the  survivors  to  pre- 
vent their  being  completely  cut  off.  The  remnants  of  these 
companies  were  placed  in  support  in  trenches  on  Hill  223. 

In  the  afternoon  of  October  8,  D  Company,  328th 
Infantry,  was  ordered  forward  to  support  the  2nd  Bat- 
talion, 328th  Infantry,  and  was  assigned  by  Captain  Till- 
man to  a  position  on  the  left  of  the  battalion  front,  where 
it  participated  in  the  last  stage  of  the  advance  to  the 
Decauville  railroad.  The  American  troops  along  this  little 
60  cm.  railroad  were  confronted  by  German  machine  gun- 
ners and  infantrymen  dug  in  only  a  few  yards  west  of  the 
railroad.  During  the  night  both  sides  sniped  back  and 
forth  in  the  brush  with  little  intermission. 

All  through  the  night,  however,  the  Americans  could 
hear  the  rumble  of  the  German  transport  moving  north 
out  of  the  heart  of  the  Argonne  Forest  where  the  enemy 
had  been  holding  up  the  advance  of  the  77th  and  the  left 
of  the  28th  Divisions  between  three  and  four  kilometers 
south  of  the  ground  gained  by  this  successful  thrust  of 


64  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

the  82nd  Division.  It  was  during  the  night  of  October 
7-8  that  Major  Whittlesey's  ''Lost  Battalion"  of  the  77th 
Division  was  relieved  on  the  left  flank  of  the  77th  Divi- 
sion. The  center  of  the  Argonne  Forest  had  been  made 
untenable  for  prolonged  German  resistance,  and  the  enemy 
was  making  haste  to  withdraw  invaluable  equipment  and 
supplies. 


CHAFTER  VII 
CORNAY  AND  CHAMPROCHER  RIDGE 

As  lias  been  said,  the  327th  Infantry  was  engaged  through 
the  8th  of  October  in  driving  north  from  Hill  180  to- 
ward the  Corps  objective,  Fleville  exclusive  to  Cornay 
inclusive.  The  attack  was  unable  to  surmount  the  machine 
gun  nests  situated  near  Fleville  as  well  as  on  the  knoU 
north  of  point  176  and  the  ridges  west  of  Cornay.  Shortly 
after  dark,  however,  the  assaulting  companies  entered 
Cornay.  Patrols  were  sent  in  different  directions  through- 
out the  village  and  from  one  German  dugout  to  another. 
In  addition  to  the  companies  which  had  been  attacking 
during  the  day,  elements  of  L  and  M  Companies,  328th  In- 
fantry, under  Captain  Sisson  and  Lieutenant  Walton  re- 
spectively, entered  Cornay  and  took  part  in  the  business 
of  mopping  up  during  the  night  of  October  8-9.  While 
this  was  in  progress,  the  town  was  heavily  shelled  by 
artillery,  necessitating  the  withdrawal  of  most  of  our  force 
to  the  southern  edge  of  the  town.  Upon  the  cessation  of 
this  fire  just  before  dawn  the  town  was  reentered.  A 
considerable  number  of  prisoners  captured  in  the  town 
were  being  conducted  out  of  the  village  before  daylight 
when  the  party  encountered  a  strong  American  patrol  who 
at  once  challenged.  One  of  the  German  prisoners  an- 
swered in  German  and  the  patrol  fired,  killing  and  wound- 
ing several  Germans  and  wounding  one  American  guard. 

Brigade  Field  Order  No.  5  directed  that  the  attack  be 

65 


66  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

resumed  that  morning,  October  9,  H  hour  being  set  at  8 
hours  30  minutes.  Companies  K  and  L,  327th  Infantry, 
in  Brigade  Eeserve  at  Hill  223,  had  been  ordered  to 
report  on  the  night  of  October  8  to  the  Commanding 
Officer,  327th  Infantry.  L  Company  was  sent  to  Major 
Blalock  on  Hill  180,  and  K  Company  to  Captain  Brown 
at  Cornay  on  the  morning  of  October  9.  Both  companies, 
however,  were  caught  in  heavy  shell  fire  during  these 
moves  and  reduced  by  casualties. 

Cornay  Retaken  by  the  Enemy 

During  the  early  morning  German  troops  began  to  in- 
filtrate into  the  woods  and  orchards  surrounding  Cornay, 
apparently  coming  from  a  northeasterly  direction.  A 
heavy  fog  prevented  our  troops  from  perceiving  enemy 
movements  until  German  detachments  were  at  short  range. 
The  Americans  endeavored  to  advance  through  the  town 
and  drive  out  forces  closing  in  upon  the  village.  Con- 
siderable bodies  of  the  enemy  were  immediately  encountered 
and  driven  back. 

A  section  of  the  327th  Infantry  Machine  Gun  Company, 
under  command  of  Lieutenant  Gilmore,  which  had  just  ar- 
rived, rendered  valuable  assistance.  Again  about  9  hours 
30  minutes,  the  Germans  counter-attacked  from  the  orchard 
east  of  Cornay  and  the  ridge  west  of  Cornay.  This  time 
the  enemy  came  in  greatly  outnumbering  force  and  com- 
pelled a  gradual  withdrawal  of  our  men  to  the  south  edge 
of  the  town.  Some  prisoners  taken  during  the  melee  as- 
serted that  large  numbers  of  fresh  German  troops  had 
been  brought  up  for  the  purpose  of  recapturing  the  town. 
These  new  troops  were  from  the  German  41st  Division,  a 
first-class  division.  Captain  McCall  was  now  the  senior 
officer  in  Cornay  since  Captain  Brown,  also  of  the  1st  Bn., 
327th  Inf.,  had  been  severely  wounded.     Captain  McCall 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  67 

decided  to  take  shelter  in  the  buildings  near  by,  where 
he  hoped  to  maintain  a  foothold  until  expected  reinforce- 
ments arrived  from  Hill  180.  Consequently  he  organized 
one  building  with  some  thirty  or  forty  Americans  and  an 
adjacent  house  was  occupied  by  Lieutenant  Gilmore  and 
his  detachment.  Lieutenant  Shipp,  328th  Inf.,  in  com- 
mand of  a  patrol  numbering  a  dozen  men  operating  in  the 
center  of  Cornay,  was  driven  back  and  after  reporting  to 
Captain  McCall,  took  up  a  position  in  a  third  building. 
About  this  time  the  enemy  was  guilty  of  the  following 
violation  of  the  Red  Cross  insignia: 

A  machine  gun  was  carried  forward  on  a  litter  covered 
by  a  Red  Cross  flag  into  the  orchard  east  of  the  town. 
The  men  accompanying  the  litter  wore  Red  Cross  bras- 
sards on  their  arms.  The  gun  was  placed  in  a  shell  hole 
and  two  Red  Cross  flags  stuck  in  the  ground  on  each  side 
of  the  shell  hole.  One  member  of  the  party  waved  a  Red 
Cross  flag.  Lieutenant  Gilmore  would  not  permit  his  men 
to  shoot,  but  Lieutenant  Shipp,  deciding  that  the  pro- 
ceeding was  a  trick,  directed  his  detachment  to  open  on 
the  party.  The  German  waving  the  Red  Cross  flag  was 
finally  shot  down,  whereupon  the  enemy  immediately 
opened  fire  with  the  machine  gun  from  the  shell  hole,  kill- 
ing some  of  our  men  in  windows  and  apertures. 

From  this  time  on  our  troops  were  constantly  subjected 
to  heavy  machine-gun  fire  under  cover  of  which  the  enemy 
endeavored  to  envelop  the  American  detachments.  About 
11  hours  30  minutes,  the  enemy  opened  with  trench 
mortars  from  the  ridge.  This  fire  soon  knocked  holes  in 
the  walls  of  the  occupied  houses,  killing  and  wounding 
numerous  men.  About  12  hours  30  minutes,  the  enemy 
made  his  filial  counter-attack.  He  sent  troops  forward  from 
the  orchard  east  of  the  town;  others  from  the  north  end 
of  Cornay  and  very  considerable  forces  down  the  steep 
ridge  on  the  west,  thus  surrounding  on  three  sides  the 


68  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Americans,  whose  fire  by  this  time  had  been  practically 
silenced. 

Captain  McCall  permitted  a  number  of  men  to  attempt 
to  escape  by  jumping  from  a  window  and  running  down 
the  road  to  the  south.  These  men  were  shot  dov/n  almost 
immediately.  At  least  half  of  the  surviving  Americans 
were  wounded.  Captain  McCall  decided  to  surrender  and 
ordered  his  men  to  cease  firing.  Lieutenants  Sliipp  and 
Lingo,  both  of  the  328th  Infantry,  and  one  private  obtained 
permission  to  make  a  break  for  Hill  180. 

A  German  prisoner  was  sent  out  of  the  house  to  wave 
a  towel  and  all  enemy  fire  was  stopped.  Lieutenant  Shipp 
and  his  two  companions  then  ran  from  the  house,  and 
when  opened  upon  by  rifle  and  machine-gun  fire,  took 
refuge  in  a  shell  hole  outside  the  town,  where  they  re- 
mained until  darkness  permitted  escape  to  Hill  180. 

After  a  time,  the  American  remnants  were  picked  up 
by  the  enemy  and,  carrying  their  own  wounded,  proceeded 
under  guard  towards  Martincourt  Farm,  Marcq  and 
Buzancy,  where  they  arrived  the  following  morning.  On 
their  way  back  from  Cornay,  while  on  the  sunken  road 
running  up  the  steep  ridge  west  of  that  town,  an  American 
barrage,  striking  the  sides  of  the  cliff,  killed  and  wounded 
many  Germans  at  the  base.  That  the  American  prisoners 
escaped  injury  at  this  point  is  most  remarkable. 

Hill  180  Threatened 

Abont  13  hours  reports  began  to  arrive  at  the  Battalion 
P.  C.  on  Hill  180  that  Cornay  had  been  recaptured  by  the 
enemy.  This  was  made  further  apparent  by  the  appear- 
ance of  enemy  forces  in  the  vicinity  of  Hill  180.  Machine 
guns  could  be  seen  pushing  forward  from  the  orchard 
east  of  Cornay.  Enemy  fire  on  Hill  180  increased  in  in- 
tensity. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  69 

Previous  to  this  time,  the  command  of  the  troops  on 
Hill  180  had  devolved  on  Major  Blanchard,  327th  Inf. 
Major  Blalock  had  reported  back  to  Regimental  Head- 
quarters, where  he  collapsed  and  was  evacuated.  Informa- 
tion of  the  loss  of  Cornay  and  the  threatening  counter- 
attack on  Hill  180  was  sent  to  Colonel  Ely,  who  requested 
a  barrage.  Our  artillery  responded  promptly  and  broke 
up  the  enemy  concentration,  causing  substantial  losses  to 
the  Germans.  The  following  messages  sent  to  the  Brigade 
P.  C.  by  Colonel  Ely  indicate  the  existing  conditions : 

*' Large  force  of  Boche  counterattacked  and  captured 
Cornay  just  before  13  o  'clock.  My  forces  there  killed*  and 
captured.  Some  escaped.  Shall  counterattack  at  18 
o'clock  with  remaining  men  available,  organizing  on  Hill 
180,  and  have  called  on  artillery  to  shell  Cornay  between 
parallels  81.6  and  82 — from  meridian  97  to  98  until  18 
o'clock,  then  jump  to  NW  of  Cornay.  Our  success  may 
be  doubtful.  Fresh  troops  should  reinforce  us  by  ford 
southeast  of  Hill  180  and  participate  in  attack. 

(signed)  Ely." 

'^Capt.  Drew  reports  enemy  seem  to  be  attacking  Hill 
180 — advises  a  barrage.  No  word  from  Blanchard  but 
observers  here  report  our  men  going  up  reverse  slope  Hill 
180.  Will  you  please  telephone  for  barrage  north  and 
west  of  Hill  180. 

(signed)  Ely." 

^*Pind  my  men  exhausted  and  gassed.  Probably  200 
can  be  mustered  for  counter-attack,  but  these  practically 
exhausted  and  nearly  worthless.  Fresh  troops  imperative 
for  success.  Machine  Guns  from  NB  and  west  playing  on 
all  approaches  to  Cornay  with  constant  shelling  Hill  180 
all  day.  Blalock  collapsed,  but  here.  Fourteen  officers  lost 
in  his  Bn.  before  losing  Cornay.  Heaviest  possible  Art. 
should  shell  Cornay  and  surroundings  for  hours  before 
assault  which  must  be  by  dark.  Under  cover  of  darkness 
for  success.    Early  morning  probably  best  hour  for  assault. 

(signed)  Ely." 


70  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

*' Escaped  men  report  Capt.  McCall  after  terrific  bar- 
rage stopped  his  further  progress,  gathered  all  available 
men  in  buildings  at  edge  Cornay,  established  observation 
posts  in  upper  windows: — Observers  reported  some  50 
enemy  advancing  under  Red  Cross  flag  and  our  men  hesi- 
tated to  fire  until  enemy  opened  on  all  sides.  Our  men 
fought  with  rifles  and  m.  guns  and  Chauchots  from  doors 
and  vrindows  killing  great  number  and  suffering  heavy 
losses.  Corp.  Gallup,  Co.  'E,'  327th  Inf.  and  Pvt.  Levine, 
Co.  ^L,'  328  Inf.  reported  that  finaUy  Capt.  McCall  said: 
*We  have  done  all  we  can,  men;  we  shaU  all  be  killed  if 
we  stay, '  and  the  men  laid  down  their  rifles  and  went  out ; 
a  number  of  men  broke  and  ran,  escaping  under  fire. 
Capt.  Brown,  327th  Inf.,  wounded  in  leg  during  fight  and 
either  captured  or  killed.  All  my  Regt.  have  been  in 
continuously  gassed  area  since  midnight,  6th  October. 
About  six  gas  alarms  last  night.  All  of  us  more  or  less 
gassed  and  ineffective. 

(signed)  Ely." 

General  Lindsey  placed  this  situation  before  the  Division 
Commander  and  was  soon  afterward  informed  that  the 
325th  Infantry,  which  had  been  in  reserve,  would  be 
placed  at  his  disposal  that  night.  The  counter-attack 
planned  for  18  hours,  9th  of  October,  was  countermanded 
and  orders  issued  for  an  attack  on  the  morning  of  October 
10th  by  the  relieving  regiment.  The  troops  on  Hill  180 
organized  the  position  and  patrolled  throughout  the  night 
awaiting  the  expected  attack,  which  did  not  come. 


Unsuccessful  Assault  on  Ridge  Champrocheb 

While  these  large  events  were  taking  place  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cornay  on  October  9  the  328th  Infantry  was  continuing 
its  attack  against  a  new  objective  and  the  326th  Infantry 
from  the  163rd  Brigade  of  this  Division  relieved  the  28th 
Division  and  jumped  off  from  the  line  held  by  the  ex- 
hausted and  depleted  units  of  that  hard-fighting  Division. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  71 

Shoi'tly  after  dark  on  the  night  of  October  8,  C  Com- 
pany, 328th  Infantry,  moved  forward  from  Hill  223  and 
endeavored  to  maintain  combat  liaison  between  the  2nd 
Battalion,  328th  Infantry,  on  the  Decauville  railroad  and 
I  and  M  Companies  of  the  327th  Infantry  on  the  rim  of 
the  ridge  Champrocher.  Captain  Weaver  commanding  C 
Company  found  that  the  survivors  of  the  two  327th  In- 
fantry Companies  had  been  withdrawn  and  sent  a  runner 
to  Colonel  Wetherill  with  this  information.  He  was  or- 
dered to  withdraw  to  Chatel-Chehery.  Also  during  the 
night,  A  Company,  328th  Infantry,  was  moved  from 
Chatel-Chehery  to  reinforce  the  2nd  Battalion,  328th  In- 
fantry, whereupon  Captain  Tillman  placed  it  in  support  of 
E  and  H  Companies.  At  about  4  hours  on  the  morning  of 
October  9,  A  Company  was  again  withdrawn  to  Chatel- 
Chehery. 

The  mission  of  the  328th  Infantry  for  October  9  re- 
quired an  attack  due  north  against  the  Champrocher  from 
Pylone  east  of  Cornay.  At  7  hours  30  minutes,  October 
9,  the  2nd  Battalion  received  orders  to  attack  north.  The 
wagon  road  running  east  into  Cornay  was  given  as  the 
first  objective.  During  the  early  morning  hours,  the  fol- 
lowing change  in  dispositions  was  made  pursuant  to  orders 
directing  a  resumption  of  attack  in  a  northerly  direction. 
F  Company  was  turned  from  the  west  to  north  with  its 
left  flank  on  the  Decauville  railroad.  E  Company  was 
moved  from  the  railroad  to  the  right  flank  of  F  Company. 
H  and  D  Companies  were  turned  north  and  placed  in 
support  of  E  and  F  Companies.  G  Company  was  extended 
along  the  railway,  still  facing  west  to  protect  the  open 
flank  for  the  entire  depth  of  the  battalion.  In  conjunc- 
tion with  this  attack,  A  Company  and  two  platoons  of  C 
Company  were  ordered  to  assault  the  ridge  east  of  the 
2nd  Battalion's  objective. 

At  8  hours  30  minutes  October  9,  under  cover  of  a  fog, 


72  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

the  assault  was  launched.  F  Company  proceeding  up  the 
Decauville  railroad  obtained  a  footing  on  the  highway  run- 
ning east  from  Pylone.  E  Company  was  compelled  to 
descend  into  the  deep  valley  south  of  ridge  Champrocher 
and  struggled  up  the  north  perpendicular  side  of  that 
position.  A  storm  of  rifle  and  machine-gun  fire  dislodged 
the  precarious  hold  of  Company  F  and  drove  it  slowly 
back  in  liaison  with  E  Company,  which  had  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  southern  edge  of  the  plateau  that  crowned 
the  ridge.  The  two  companies  together  did  not  muster 
more  than  one  hundred  men  and  they  were  opposed  by 
the  fresh  troops  from  the  41st  German  Division  which  was 
at  this  time  enveloping  Cornay.  It  was  found  necessary 
to  draw  back  from  the  ridge  and  valley,  to  the  hill  from 
which  the  attack  had  started  and  there  await  the  arrival 
of  additional  troops  adequate  to  the  task.  Many  losses 
were  suffered  from  machine-gun  and  artillery  fire  and  the 
valley  south  of  the  ridge  was  smothered  by  the  enemy  with 
gas  shells.  A  Company  and  the  detachment  from  C  Com- 
pany had  meanwhile  reached  the  foot  of  the  ridge  farther 
to  the  east  and  nearer  Cornay.  At  this  point  the  enemy 
opened  fire,  and  in  addition  hurled  grenades  upon  the 
assaulting  party.  Our  men  held  their  positions  through- 
out the  day,  sniping  back  as  opportunity  offered.  Lieutenant 
Coston  of  A  Company  and  several  men  of  his  platoon  were 
killed  early  in  the  day. 

About  midday,  our  artillery  strafed  the  ridge  and  mate- 
rially assisted  our  infantry.  D  Company  relieved  E  Com- 
pany on  the  front  line  at  13  hours  30  minutes  and  later 
was  in  turn  relieved  by  two  platoons  of  C  Company,  which 
had  been  held  in  reserve. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
163rd  infantry  BRIGADE  ENTERS  FIGHT 

Throughout  October  7-8,  while  the  164th  Brigade  was 
driving  at  the  east  flank  of  the  upper  Argonne  Forest, 
the  units  of  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  (Brig.  Gen. 
Cronin)  in  Corps  reserve,  were  expecting  hourly  the 
orders  which  would  place  them  beside  their  comrades  from 
the  other  brigade.  During  this  period  and  throughout  the 
drive  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  was  accompanied  by  the 
320th  Machine-Gun  Battalion  (Captain  Muldrow).  It  will 
be  recalled  that  on  the  afternoon  of  October  6,  1918,  both 
infantry  brigades  were  bivouacked  west  of  Varennes.  On 
the  night  of  October  7-8,  the  326th  Infantry  (Colonel 
McArthur)  was  ordered  to  Montblainville.  The  march 
began  about  22  hours  30  minutes  through  a  black  night 
filled  with  hard,  driving  rain.  Here  again  this  night 
maneuver  was  made  over  roads  blocked  by  moving  artil- 
lery and  transport  and  through  ankle-deep  mud.  Mont- 
blainville was  found  to  be  a  mass  of  ruins  upon  an  ex- 
posed hill,  still  subjected  to  constant  enemy  shell  fire.  The 
1st  and  2nd  Battalions  with  the  Regimental  Machine-Gun 
Company  bivouacked  in  the  woods  west  of  the  village. 
The  3rd  Battalion  and  Headquarters  Company  camped 
in  the  grove  at  Farm  La  Forge.  Regimental  Headquarters 
was  located  on  the  Montblainville  road  near  this  farm. 

The  first  intimation  received  at  Division  Headquarters 
of  the  early  employment  of  the  reserve  brigade  appears  in 
jthe  Division  dossier  as  a  telephone  message  received  October 

73 


74  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

8,  1918,  at  11  hours  40  minutes  from  Chief  of  Staff,  1st 
Corpe,  to  Chief  of  Staff,  82nd  Division. 

**The  Corps  Commander  directs  that  the  reserve  of 
Lindsey's  brigade  be  stationed  somewhere  south  of  Cornay 
so  as  to  be  able  to  function  properly  after  our  final  ob- 
jective is  reached.  In  case  of  an  advance  on  the  Cornay- 
Fleville  line  to  the  north,  a  portion  of  the  brigade  in  Corps 
reserve  will  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Commanding 
General,  82nd  Division,  but  not  now.  The  163rd  Brigade 
will  probably  come  in  to-night,  either  to  extend  your  front 
or  into  your  own  sector.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  the  whole  area  in  rear  of  your  lines  should  be 
thoroughly  mopped  up  by  the  tanks  and  by  the  infantry. 
If  you  have  not  already  told  him  about  this,  notify 
Lindsey. '  ^ 

At  15  hours  45  minutes,  8th  of  October,  1918,  the  fol- 
lowing order  was  sent  to  the  Commanding  Officer,  326th 
Infantry : 

'*Move  one  battalion  of  your  regiment  at  once  to  La 
Palette  Ravine,  approximately  I/2  km.  south  of  Chatel- 
Chehery.  Carry  reserve  rations.  Field  trains  remain  at 
present  location.  Combat  Trains  accompany  battalion. 
This  movement  is  urgent.  Expedite  departure  of  bat- 
talion. This  battalion  remains  in  Corps  reserve.  No  change 
is  supply  arrangements.  By  Command  of  Major  General 
Duncan — Raymond  Sheldon,  Chief  of  Staff." 

*  The  following  telephone  message  was  received  at  19 
hours  20  minutes,  October  8,  at  Division  Headquarters, 
from  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps: 

*'The  82nd  Division  will  take  over  sector  of  the  28th 
Division  before  4  a.m.  to-morrow.  Orders  are  now  on  the 
way.  The  Commanding  General,  28th  Division,  will  have 
supervision  of  the  relief  and  will  furnish  the  necessary 
guides,  etc.  This  does  not  include  the  28th  Artillery,  which 
will  remain  in  place  for  the  present.  The  28th,  on  being 
relieved,  will  pass  to  the  Corps  reserve  and  will  assemble 
in  the  vicinity  of  Montblainville.    The  General  thinks   we 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  75 

had  better  confine  the  relief  to  one  regiment.  That  will 
leave  one  regiment  for  Division  reserve.  The  orders  for 
to-morrow  are  just  the  same  as  they  were  to-day. ' ' 

The  order  to  despatch  one  battalion  to  La  Palette 
Ravine  just  south  of  Chatel-Chehery  reached  Headquarters, 
326th  Infantry,  at  16  hours,  and  at  17  hours  the  3rd  Bat- 
talion (Major  Watkins)  started  its  march  from  Mont- 
blainville.  About  20  hours,  Colonel  McArthur  was  called 
to  Headquarters,  28th  Division,  at  Farm  La  Forge.  Here 
an  extended  conference  was  held  in  which  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Cronin,  commanding  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  and 
Colonel  Sheldon,  Chief  of  Staff,  82nd  Division,  were 
present,  together  with  Col.  Sweeney,  Chief  of  Staff,  28th 
Division.  As  a  result  of  this  conference,  the  326th  In- 
fantry was  directed  at  midnight  to  move  the  two  remaining 
battalions  forward  and  relieve  the  entire  28th  Division  in 
time  to  jump  off  in  attack  at  8  hours  30  minutes,  October 
9,  1918. 

After  another  night's  march  through  mud  and  rain,  the 
1st  Battalion  (Major  Barrett)  and  the  2nd  Battalion 
(Major  Jones)  arrived  just  before  daybreak  west  of  La 
Palette  ravine  on  the  main  forest  highway  to  Pylone. 
Regimental  P.  C.  was  established  in  one  of  the  abandoned 
German  dugouts  on  a  slope  of  this  ravine.  The  1st  Bat- 
talion proceeded  with  the  relief  of  the  left  brigade  of  the 
28th  Division,  which  occupied  fox  holes  on  a  road  running 
southwest  from  Chatel-Chehery  and  crossing  the  forest 
highway.  This  jump  off  line  is  about  2  kilometers  due 
southwest  from  Chatel-Chehery. 

The  terrain  which  faced  the  326th  Infantry  is  of  differ- 
ent character  from  that  which  confronted  the  164th  In- 
fantry Brigade.  While  it  does  not  consist  of  precipitous 
ridges  like  those  which  overhang  Cornay,  it  presents  diffi- 
culties quite  as  troublesome.  The  objective  assigned  re- 
quired a  turning  movement  in  a  general  northwesterly 


76  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

direction  to  La  Besogne,  on  a  front  which  extended  about 
2  kilometers  west  from  the  Decauville  railroad,  to  which 
the  328th  Infantry  had  driven  on  the  previous  afternoon. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  advance  of  the  328th  Infantry 
on  October  9,  1918,  had  been  halted  by  very  determined 
resistance  from  enemy  machine  guns  and  infantry.  The 
high  command  suspected  at  this  time  that  the  enemy  was 
withdrawing  generally  toward  the  heights  north  of  the 
Aire  Yalley.  This  is  clearly  evidenced  in  a  telephone 
communication  from  the  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps,  and 
inserted  in  the  82nd  Division  dossier  under  date  of  October 
8,  1918.  Subsequent  events  proved  the  accuracy  of  this 
surmise.  Nevertheless,  the  qfliantities  of  enemy  materiel 
which  remained  at  this  time  south  of  the  Aire  Kiver, 
as  well  as  general  tactical  considerations,  compelled  the 
Germans  to  make  a  desperate  rear-guard  resistance. 

"West  of  the  often  mentioned  Decauville  railroad,  the 
Argonne  Forest  stretches  for  6  kilometers  toward  the 
town  of  Lancon.  This  country  is  a  desolate  jungle  of 
tangled  "tinderbrush  and  forest,  cut  by  ravines  and  small 
watercourses,  with  here  and  there  a  farm-house  and  an 
open  patch  of  cultivated  ground.  Occasionally  the  ground 
rises  to  an  eminence  of  considerable  height.  Near  La 
Besogne,  the  rolling  land  falls  away  into  a  sharp  valley, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  clusters  a  few  buildings,  which  the 
map  dignifies  as  La  Besogne. 

3rd  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  October  9,  1918 

"When  the  3rd  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  arrived  just 
south  of  Chatel-Chehery  during  the  early  night  of  October 
8-9,  Major  Watkins  reported  in  Chatel-Chehery  to  Brig- 
adier General  I^olan,  commanding  the  right  brigade  of 
the  28th  Division.  In  compliance  with  the  plan  of  relief, 
the  3rd  Battalion  spent  the  remaining  hours  of  darkness 
in  La  Palette  Ravine.     At  8  hours  30  minutes  it  climbed 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  77 

the  north  slope  of  the  ravine  and,  moving  northwest  across 
Hill  244,  passed  through  the  elements  of  the  right  brigade 
of  the  28th  Division  along  the  cross-road  running  southwest 
from  Chatel-Chehery.  It  was  this  same  cross-road  which 
served  as  the  jump  off  line  for  the  1st  Battalion  about 
^ye  hundred  meters  still  farther  to  the  southwest. 

The  advance  of  the  3rd  Battalion  was  made  with  Com- 
panies I,  K  and  L  as  assault  companies  and  Company  M 
in  support.  The  compass  direction  was  northwest  to  the 
Decauville  railroad,  and  thence  north  with  the  right  flank 
on  the  forest  highway  leading  to  Pylone.  The  advance 
to  the  narrow  gauge  railroad  covered  a  distance  of  about 
2  kilometers  and  was  uneventful  save  for  light,  intermit- 
tent shell  fire.  The  advance  north  along  the  forest  road, 
however,  brought  the  battalion  in  contact  with  enemy 
machine-gun  elements,  which  gave  considerable  difficulty 
in  this  extremely  wild  and  wooded  country.  After  forcing 
a  way  north  for  nearly  a  kilometer,  enemy  machine-gun 
fire  increased  in  volume  and  a  number  of  casualties  were 
suffered.  Lieutenant  Owens  of  L  Company  was  killed 
while  leading  his  platoon  forward.  The  battalion  was  not 
in  liaison  with  the  battalion  on  its  left,  and  fearing  the 
possibility  of  an  enveloping  movement,  which  would  cut 
off  the  battalion,  Major  Watkins  ordered  a  withdrawal  for 
several  hundred  meters  to  the  railroad.  Here  the  battalion 
dug  in  on  the  left  flank  of  the  328th  Infantry  and  formed 
a  line  which  followed  the  sharp  bend  in  the  Decauville 
railroad  to  the  southwest,  a  distance  of  five  or  six  hundred 
meters.  Here  the  3rd  Battalion  remained  until  the  attack 
of  the  following  morning. 

1st  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  October  9,  1918 

The  1st  Battalion,  326th  Infantry  with  Company  D, 
320th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  in  support,  jumped  off  at 
8  hours  30  minutes  on  the  morning  of  October  9  on  the 


78  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

line  previously  described  where  it  had  relieved  the  left 
brigade  of  the  28th  Division.  At  this  time  the  1st  Bat- 
talion was  in  complete  liaison  with  the  right  elements  of  the 
77th  Division,  which  formed  a  line  to  the  southwest  along 
the  same  cross-road.  The  barrage  which  preceded  this 
advance  was  excellent,  but  too  rapid  for  the  character  of 
the  terrain,  and  A  and  C  Companies,  the  assault  com- 
panies of  the  1st  Battalion,  were  compelled  to  run  from 
time  to  time  to  keep  close  to  their  barrage.  This  resulted 
in  these  companies  gaining  some  distance  upon  the  two 
support  companies  of  the  battalion  and  getting  completely 
ahead  of  the  corresponding  elements  of  the  77th  Division. 
Practically  no  enemy  opposition  aside  from  desultory  shell 
fire  was  met  during  the  first  stage  of  the  advance.  This 
situation  was  one  of  the  factors  which  opened  a  gap  be- 
tween the  1st  and  3rd  Battalions  of  this  Regiment.  The 
3rd  Battalion  maintained  liaison  with  the  328th  Infantry 
on  its  right  and  the  1st  Battalion  worked  with  the  77th 
Division  on  its  left. 

After  the  front  line  had  proceeded  about  two  kilometers 
northwest,  some  machine  gun  resistance  was  encountered. 
In  spite  of  this  opposition,  a  farther  advance  was  made 
and  a  platoon  of  A  Company,  under  Lieutenant  Patton, 
succeeded  in  penetrating  eight  hundred  meters  farther  north 
than  the  advance  of  the  other  elements  of  the  Battalion. 
This  platoon  won  a  foothold  on  the  slopes  of  a  small 
ravine  about  1  kilometer  due  south  from  La  Besogne. 
Enemy  infantry  and  machine  gunners  started  to  envelop 
this  platoon,  and  Lieutenant  Patton  was  compelled  to  with- 
draw a  few  hundred  meters,  where  he  joined  the  other 
forward  elements  of  his  battalion.  Here  A  and  C  Com- 
panies dug  in  and  held  their  ground  until  the  following 
morning.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  leading  elements  of 
the  77th  Division  again  came  abreast  of  the  1st  Battalion, 
326th  Infantry.    They  remained  in  liaison  throughout  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  79 

night.  The  2nd  Battalion  in  support  moved  forward  dnr* 
ing  the  day  and  took  up  a  position  for  the  night  on  the 
line  occupied  by  the  1st  Battalion  that  morning.  At  about 
23  hours,  October  9,  1918,  a  conference  was  held  at  the 
regimental  P.  C.  and  battalion  commanders  were  given 
instructions  for  a  resumption  of  the  attack  on  the  follow- 
ing morning. 

325th  Infantry,  October  10,  1918 

The  attack  of  October  10  was  made  in  the  Divisional 
sector  by  the  325th  Infantry  (Colonel  Whitman)  and  the 
326th  Infantry  (Colonel  McArthur).  For  the  time  being 
the  325th  Infantry  was  placed  in  the  164th  Infantry  Bri- 
gade and  the  328th  Infantry  transferred  to  the  163rd  In- 
fantry Brigade.  The  325th  Infantry  had,  up  to  this  point, 
been  held  in  reserve  and  was  therefore  at  full  strength. 
Its  men  were  relatively  in  much  better  physical  condition 
than  the  two  regiments  which  had  been  engaged  continu- 
ously for  three  desperate  days. 

On  October  6,  Colonel  Whitman  had  made  a  recon- 
naissance in  the  vicinity  of  La  Forge,  opposite  Chatel- 
Chehery,  under  the  supposition  that  he  would  assault  at 
that  point  the  following  morning.  Plans  were  changed, 
however,  and  on  the  night  of  the  7th,  the  325th  Infantry 
moved  from  the  camp  west  of  Yarennes  to  the  valley  of 
Charpentry.  The  march  was  the  usual  night  maneuver 
in  a  rainstorm  on  overcrowded  roads  and  under  some  shell 
fire.  The  regiment  sat  in  the  mud  for  the  balance  of  the 
night  and  during  all  of  October  8.  Early  on  October  9, 
the  325th  Infantry  was  moved  west  across  the  Aire  River 
to  the  vicinity  of  Chene  Tondu. 

At  18  hours  on  October  9  Colonel  Whitman  was  directed 
to  report  to  the  P.  C.  of  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade  at 
Chatel-Chehery.      General   Lindsey  prepared   a   Brigade 


so  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

order  for  the  attack  on  the  following  morning.    This  order 
stated  in  part: 

*'l.  A  hostile  counter-attack  succeeded  in  driving  our 
troops  off  the  Corps  objective  from  Fleville  to  railroad 
west  of  Cornay.  The  enemy  occupied  Fleville,  Cornay  and 
the  ridge  to  the  southwest.  On  our  right  is  the  1st  Division 
and  on  our  left  is  the  326th  Infantry,  now  on  the  Corps 
objective.  The  325th  Infantry  with  artillery  support  will 
counter-attack  on  'D'  day,  *H*  hour  and  regain  the  Corps 
objective,  which  runs  generally  along  the  82nd  meridian 
from  Fleville  on  the  east  (exclusive)  to  north  and  south 
railroad,  west  of  Cornay.  One  battalion  of  the  325th  In- 
fantry will  attack  from  Hill  180  the  line  Fleville  (ex- 
clusive) Cornay  (inclusive).  One  battalion  will  attack 
from  the  ridge  extending  from  point  97.0-80.5  to  96.5-80.5^ 
that  part  of  the  objective  between  the  line  Cornay  (ex- 
clusive) to  the  north  and  south  railroad  west  of  Cornay. 
These  battalions  will  pass  the  line  of  the  328th  Infantry 
located  in  that  vicinity.  One  battalion  of  the  325th  In- 
fantry as  reserve  will  be  posted  under  cover  south  and 
west  of  Hill  223. 

**2.  Stokes  Mortars  and  one-pounders  will  be  placed  as 
directed  by  regimental  commander. 

**3.  A  machine  gun  company  will  be  attached  to  each 
attack  battalion.  The  commanding  officer  of  the  321st 
M.  G.  Battalion  has  designated  Companies  B  and  D  to  be 
reported  to  commanding  officer  325th  Infantry  for  duty. 

**4.  For  artillery  plans,  see  Annex  *A.' 

**5.  Immediately  on  reaching  the  Corps  objective,  the 
position  will  be  organized  in  depth  as  the  position  of  re- 
sistance, and  exploitation  patrols  will  be  sent  to  the  woods 
and  terrain  north  as  far  as  the  Aire  River,  which  will  be 
the  limit  of  the  outpost  position. 

ye.  The  327  Inf.  on  Cote  180  and  in  Pleinchamp  Farm 
will  remain  as  now  organized  until  further  orders.  The 
328th  Inf.  on  the  hill  to  the  north  and  west  of  Hill  223 
will  likewise  remain  as  now  organized  until  further  orders. 
All  elements  of  whatever  nature  north  of  the  Cote  180  or 
of  the  hill  northwest  of  Hill  223  will  be  withdrawn  by 
*H'  hour. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  81 

*'7.  *D'  will  be  Oct.  lOth.    ^H'  wiU  be  5.00  hours. 

**8.  All  elements  must  be  in  place  to  jump  off  at  *H' 
minus  1. 

*  *  9.  Posts  of  Command :  82nd  Division,  La  Forge  Farm ; 
164th  Inf.  Brigade,  Chatel-Chehery ;  325th  Inf.,  Chatel- 
Chehery. 

*' Annex  'A':  Annex  to  Field  Order  6,  164th  Inf. 
Brigade.  All  artillery  of  Division  will  support  the  attack 
of  the  325th  Inf. ;  interdiction  fire  will  be  kept  in  front  of 
infantry;  harassing  and  destructive  fire  as  ordered  by 
Commanding  General,  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade. 
Upon  arrival  of  the  Infantry  at  their  objective,  all  artillery 
will  be  available  for  harassing  and  searching  fire  north  of 
the  final  objective.  This  fire  must  be  so  regulated  by  in- 
fantry commander  and  artillery  liaison  officer  as  to  best 
protect  their  troops  and  exploitation  patrols.'' 

By  4  hours,  October  10th,  the  325th  Infantry  had  moved 
up  from  the  Chene  Tondu  and  was  ready  to  relieve  the 
two  infantry  regiments  in  accordance  with  the  above  order. 
The  2nd  Battalion  (Major  Hawkins)  was  in  rear  of  Hill 
180;  the  1st  Battalion  (Major  Lett)  was  in  rear  of  the 
328th  Infantry  along  the  Decauville  railroad,  and  the  3rd 
Battalion  (Major  Pierce)  was  in  rear  of  HiU  223  as  sup- 
port. B  and  C  Companies  constituted  the  assaulting 
waves  in  the  1st  Battalion  and  E  and  F  Companies  in  the 
2nd  Battalion.  The  321st  Machine  Gun  Battalion  was  at 
this  time  concentrated  at  the  following  points:  Com- 
panies B  and  D  near  Hill  244 ;  Company  C  at  Hill  223 ; 
and  Company  A  on  Hill  180.  From  these  positions  they 
assisted  the  infantry  attack.  H  hour  was  advanced  to  7 
hours,  October  10.  Although  furious  resistance  had  been 
anticipated,  the  325th  Infantry  advanced  on  approximately 
a  two-kilometer  front  without  substantial  opposition. 
Cornay  and  the  ridge  Champrocher  were  shortly  occupied 
and  the  1st  and  2nd  Battalions  pushed  strong  groups  for- 
ward as  far  north  as  Martincourt  Farm,  Marcq  and  the 
Aire  River.    A  few  casualties  had  been  inflicted  by  enemy 


82  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

shell  fire  and  an  occasional  sniper.  About  forty  prisoners 
were  taken  from  Cornay  and  the  western  ridge.  Captain 
Brown,  327th  Inf.,  and  several  other  wounded  men  belong- 
ing to  the  327th  Infantry  were  recovered  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cornay  and  Martincourt  Farm.  The  enemy's  counter- 
attack of  the  previous  afternoon  proved  to  have  been  his 
final  effort,  and  during  the  night  October  9-10,  he  withdrew 
Ms  forces  to  the  heights  north  of  the  Aire. 

326th  Infantry,  October  10,  1918 

The  advance  proceeded  with  equal  success  in  the  sector 
occupied  by  the  326th  Infantry.  The  3rd  Battalion  sup- 
ported by  C  Company,  320th  M.  G.  Battalion,  jumped  o£E 
with  Companies  K,  L  and  M  in  assault  and  advanced  in  a 
northerly  direction  along  the  Decauville  railroad  and  the 
forest  highway  on  a  front  of  about  ^ve  hundred  meters. 
The  observation  station  known  as  Pylone  was  captured  and 
the  attack  drove  due  north  of  Pylone  for  another  one  and 
one-half  kilometers  to  the  Corps  objective.  This  placed 
the  right  of  the  326th  Infantry  on  the  heights  one  kilometer 
south  of  the  town  of  Marcq  and  overlooking  the  Aire 
River  and  St.  Juvin  to  the  north.  Some  casualties  were 
caused  by  enemy  shell  fire  during  the  day's  progress. 

The  1st  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  moved  out  at  H  hour 
October  10,  with  Companies  A  and  C  in  assault  and  in 
complete  liaison  with  the  77th  Division.  Prior  to  the 
attack  a  platoon  of  C  Company,  326th  Infantry,  sent  a 
patrol  to  the  outskirts  of  La  Besogne  and  were  the  first 
American  soldiers  to  enter  that  village.  The  main  forces 
of  the  battalion  entered  La  Besogne  with  troops  of  the 
77th  Division.  At  this  point  they  were  met  with  heavy 
enemy  shell  fire. 

Another  incident  of  this  advance  was  the  automatic  ex- 
plosion of  German  mines  near  La  Besogne  on  the  road 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  83 

which  runs  from  La  Besogne  to  Pylone.  A  large  crater 
was  blown  in  the  road,  but  no  troops  were  injured  by 
the  explosion.  Companies  A  and  C  were  then  sent  for- 
ward to  Marcq,  arriving  there  at  about  23  hours.  Company 
A  remained  during  the  night  in  Marcq.  Company  B  was 
held  at  La  Besogne  with  the  Battalion  P.  C.  and  Companies 
C  and  D  outposted  between  Marcq  and  La  Besogne.  After 
four  years  of  continuous  occupation,  the  enemy  had  been 
finally  ejected  from  the  Argonne  Forest  and  the  first  phase 
of  the  Division's  operations  was  successfully  terminated. 


CHAPTER  IX 
ASTRIDE  THE  AIRE  RIVER 

Up  to  this  time,  the  Division  had  been  fighting  west  of 
the  Aire  River.  The  second  phase  of  the  Division's  par- 
ticipation in  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  required  the 
82nd  Division  to  fight  astride  of  the  Aire  River,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  night  of  October  14,  1918,  that  all  of 
the  combat  units  had  again  recrossed  that  tributary  to  the 
east  bank.  After  October  14,  the  river  was  placed  once 
and  for  all  at  the  backs  of  our  fighting  men. 

Reference  to  the  map  will  show  that  after  flowing  in  a 
northerly  direction  to  a  point  about  three  kilometers  north 
of  Cornay,  the  river  turns  sharply  to  the  west  and  makes 
a  twisted  passage  toward  Grand-Pre  for  six  kilometers  in 
a  direction  north  of  west.  Still  farther  west,  it  effects 
a  junction  with  the  River  Aisne.  This  western  bend  to 
Grand-Pre  marks  the  north  boundary  of  the  Aire  Valley. 
The  little  towns  on  the  banks  of  this  brief  six  kilometers 
are  now  historic  names:  St.  Juvin,  Marcq,  Chevieres  and 
Grand-Pre.  The  same  is  equally  true  of  the  villages  which 
dot  the  river's  northerly  progress  from  Varennes  to  St. 
Juvin.  The  names,  Montblainville,  Baulny,  Apremont, 
Chatel-Chehery,  La  Forge,  Cornay  and  Fleville  will  for- 
ever recall  the  valor  of  the  American  soldier. 

The  river  is,  during  six  months  of  the  year,  an  unin- 
teresting stream,  forty  to  fifty  feet  wide  and  varying  from 
two  feet  to  perhaps  five  feet  in  depth.  In  the  winter  months 
it  is  a  muddy  flood  which  inundates  the  entire  Aire  Valley 

84 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  85 

and  assumes  the  attributes  of  many  well-known  Amerieaii 
rivers. 

North  of  the  Aire  Valley  the  terrain  is  very  different 
from  that  of  the  Argonne  Forest.  The  country  runs  north 
to  Sedan  and  the  Meuse  River  in  a  series  of  ridges,  which 
have  the  regular  appearance  of  an  ocean  swell.  These 
ridges  are  for  the  most  part  bare,  save  for  isolated  large 
patches  of  woods  like  the  Bois  des  Loges  and  the  still 
larger  Bois  de  Bourgogne  due  north  from  Grand-Pre. 
Many  small  islands  of  trees  and  thickets  stand  here  and 
there,  and  provided  concealment  for  enemy  artillery  and 
machine  gunners. 

The  Kriemhilde  Stellung 

Much  is  said  of  the  Kriemhilde  Stelking.  Those  who 
have  not  seen  it  will  probably  imagine  a  highly  organized 
German  defensive  position  with  a  complicated  network  of 
deep  trenches  and  many  bands  of  heavy  barbed  wire.  The 
American  soldiers  who  assaulted  and  cut  the  Kriemhilde 
Stellung  know  that  such  was  not  the  fact.  This  line  was 
a  series  of  natural  positions,  hills,  ridges  and  woods  which 
gave  the  enemy  unrivaled  opportunities  for  coordinated 
defense  by  artillery  and  cross-fire  barrages  with  machine 
guns.  Some  shallow  trenches  were  of  course  prepared 
and  wire  obstacles  set  up,  but  neither  trench  nor  wire 
constituted  the  barrier  which  held  the  American  army  from 
the  German  throat  during  the  critical  days  from  October 
11  to  November  1,  1918.  In  front  of  the  82nd  Division, 
the  elements  of  the  Kriemhilde  Stellung  were,  first,  a 
powerful  outpost  line  comprising  St.  Juvin  and  Hill 
182  immediately  north  of  that  town,  and  the  ridge  be- 
tween St.  Juvin  and  Sommerance  known  as  Ridge  85.5. 
North  of  this  outpost  line  stand  the  natural  fortresses 
Champigneulle  and  St.  Georges.    The  Kriemhilde  Stellung 


86  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

was,  however,  the  last  partly  organized  defensive  barrier 
south  of  the  Hirson-Mezieres-Sedan  railroad.  This  rail- 
road was  of  fundamental  importance  to  the  Germans,  run- 
ning from  the  big  center  at  Metz  to  Mezieres,  parallel  to 
the  front  of  the  battle  line.  Its  importance  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  fact  that  north  of  the  railroad  lay  the 
Ardennes  Forest  with  few  roads  and  no  railroads.  There- 
fore, the  retirement  of  a  very  large  part  of  the  German 
army  must  necessarily  be  effected  along  this  one  railroad. 
It  was  imperative  that  the  German  should  hold  his  last 
defensive  position  south  of  Sedan.  In  the  light  of  these 
facts,  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  every  prisoner  captured 
during  the  month  of  October  stated  that  his  organization 
had  been  ordered  to  hold  its  position  **at  all  costs.''  The 
will  of  the  American  was  equally  resolute  to  break  through. 

Price  Paid  by  164th  Infantry  Brigade 

On  the  morning  of  October  10,  1918,  when  the  325th 
Infantry  attacked  through  the  327th  Infantry  and  328th 
Infantry,  the  two  last-named  regiments  had  been  in  con- 
tinuous heavy  fighting  for  three  days  and  nights.  The 
men  had  been  without  hot  food  or  coffee,  and  no  water 
had  been  available  for  drinking  except  the  polluted  water 
of  the  Aire  River.  The  wounded  had  been  evacuated  by 
stretcher  bearers  working  under  continuous  heavy  fire,  and 
many  of  these  stretcher  bearers  had  themselves  become 
casualties.  The  losses  in  both  regiments  had  been  severe. 
Many  dead  were  buried  during  October  10,  and  for  forty- 
eight  hours  thereafter  parties  of  pioneers  worked  at  this 
melancholy  task.  In  the  327th  Infantry  the  following 
officers  had  been  killed  in  action  or  later  died  from  wounds : 
1st  Lt.  Jerome  E.  Kemmerer,  Co.  D;  1st  Lt.  "Walter  H. 
Levie,  Co.  I  and  Lt.  James  E.  Cantwell,  unassigned.  Nine- 
teen officers  were  wounded,  six  were  gassed  and  evacuated 


96  97 

82nd  division  IN  MEUSE-ARGON 

Dotted  lines  indicate  tempore 

— — — —  Solid  lines  indicate  organized 


98  99 

OFFENSIVE,  OCT.  10-NOV.  1,  1918 
•ositions  of  advance  units  during  tlie  day 
t  line  at  midnight 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION  87 

and  three  were  evacuated  sick.  Six  officers  of  the  regi- 
ment were  captured  in  the  German  counter-attack  at 
Cornay  and  one  of  these  officers,  Capt.  Charles  H.  Brown, 
Co.  A,  who  had  been  severely  wounded  and  captured,  was 
later  recaptured  at  Martincourt  Farm  by  the  325th  In- 
fantry. Of  the  enlisted  men  of  the  327th  Infantry  115 
were  killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds;  90  were  cap- 
tured or  classified  *' missing  in  action'*;  675  were  wounded 
or  gassed  and  100  were  evacuated,  sick. 

In  the  328th  Infantry,  the  following  officers  were  killed 
in  action  during  this  flank  attack:  2nd  Lt.  Kirby  P. 
Stewart,  G.  Co.,  2nd  Lt.  0.  M.  Coston,  A  Co.,  and  2nd 
Lt.  Carl  Goldsmith,  M  Co.,  328th  Inf.,  who  died  at  the 
outskirts  of  Cornay  leading  his  platoon  in  an  attack.  2nd 
Lt.  Walter  M.  Little,  Supply  Co.,  328th  Inf.,  died  later 
in  the  hospital  of  wounds  received  October  7.  Twelve 
officers  of  the  regiment  were  evacuated  wounded ;  9  evacu- 
ated gassed ;  3  evacuated  sick,  making  a  total  of  28  officer 
casualties.  One  hundred  and  twenty-nine  enlisted  men  were 
killed  or  died  of  wounds;  387  evacuated  wounded;  130 
evacuated  gassed;  52  evacuated  sick;  20  captured,  making 
a  total  of  718  lost  in  this  operation. 

The  importance  of  this  flank  attack  and  the  measure  of 
success  achieved  is  indicated  by  the  telegram  sent  on  the 
late  afternoon  of  October  7th  by  direction  of  General 
Pershing : 

*' Headquarters,  1st  Army  Corps — Oct.  7th,  1918 

C.  G.,  82nd  Division,  G-3,  1095  period  The  Commander- 
in-Chief  directed  me  to  congratulate  General  Julian  R. 
Lindsey,  on  the  success  of  his  thrust  in  which  I  heartily 

concur,     (sgd)  Liggett — 4:30  p.  m. 

*  *  «  *  * 

Dear  General  Lindsey:  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to 
transmit  this  to  you.  (sgd)  G.  B.  Duncan,  Maj.  Gen., 
Comdg.  82ndDiv.*' 


88  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

October  11,  1918,  a  Day  of  Testing 

In  many  respects,  the  11th  of  October,  1918,  tested  the 
qualities  of  the  82nd  Division  more  than  any  day  in  its 
history.  The  325th  Infantry,  326th  Infantry  and  the 
327th  Infantry  were  all  three  plunged  into  an  exceedingly 
desperate  fight  for  a  footing  in  the  outpost  positions  of  the 
Kriemhilde  Stellung  line.  The  326th  Infantry,  west  of  the 
Aire,  attacked  from  Marcq  in  an  effort  to  cross  the  Aire 
River,  where  it  bends  toward  Grand-Pre,  just  south  of 
St.  Juvin.  The  325th  Infantry  and  327th  Infantry,  east 
of  the  Aire,  attacked  the  ridge  between  St.  Juvin  and 
Sommerance.  The  326th  Infantry  failed,  but  with  a  gal- 
lantry which  will  be  a  source  of  boundless  pride  to  this 
Division.  The  other  two  regiments  were  tried  to  the  ut- 
most, but  eventually  achieved  the  ridge. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  consider  the  operations  of  each 
regiment  separately  and  to  examine  the  special  situation 
with  which  each  was  confronted.  The  dossier  of  the  82nd 
Division  shows  the  receipt  of  the  following  messages,  which 
resulted  in  the  relief  of  the  left  brigade  of  the  1st  Division 
by  the  327th  Infantry. 

*' 00:05  hours,  10  Oct.  1918,  Col.  Montgomery,  G-3, 
1st  A.  C.  called  at  12  o'clock  midnight  and  asked  if 
we  had  received  our  Field  Order.  When  told  'No/  he 
stated  as  follows:  *  General  Duncan  will  continue  to-mor- 
row morning  1%  hours  earlier  than  to-day  (7  a.m.).  Your 
right  boundary  extends  from  Baulny  north  practically  in 
a  straight  line  along  the  western  edge  of  Bois  de  Boyon 
to  Sommerance.  You  will  relieve  the  elements  of  the  1st 
Division  west  of  that  boundary.  The  1st  Division  line 
extends  from  Fleville,  running  northeast  to  Cote  de 
Maldah.  You  will  be  responsible  for  the  part  of  the  line 
west  of  your  eastern  boundary.  You  must  effect  relief 
of  the  elements  of  the  1st  Division  on  this  line  before 
daybreak.'  " 


OFFICIAL  HISTOHY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  89 

*'10  Oct.  1918,  2  hours,  22  minutes— from  General 
Duncan  to  Major  Scott.  Tell  General  Lindsey  when  he 
comes  in  that  in  sending  that  one  company  to  his  right 
that  he  must  send  it  to  arrive  by  5  hours  if  possible  to  the 
line  between  Fleville  and  west  edge  of  Bois  de  Boyon  to 
relieve  the  elements  of  the  1st  Division  at  that  point." 

In  accordance  with  the  above  message,  K  Company, 
325th  Infantry  (Capt.  Melton),  proceeded  before  5  hours, 
October  10,  to  a  point  one  kilometer  south  of  Fleville,  where 
the  main  Fleville  road  is  crossed  by  an  east  and  west  road 
to  Exermont.  No  elements  of  the  1st  Division  were  en- 
countered, but  a  German  patrol  was  met  and  captured. 
Captain  Melton  outposted  the  Exermont  Road  for  a  dis- 
tance of  some  500  meters  from  the  main  Fleville  road. 
This  company  remained  in  the  assigned  position  until 
October  12th. 

*'ll  hours  5  minutes  10th  Oct. — ^message  to  C.  G.,  164th 
Brig.  Send  one  Major  and  one  company  from  your  re- 
serve to  the  east  of  the  River  Aire  to  back  up  the  company 
which  relieved  the  elements  of  the  1st  Division  between 
Fleville  and  Bois  de  Boyon.  The  Major  will  be  in  com- 
mand of  these  two  companies  and  will  push  forward  to 
the  general  line  Sommerance  (exclusive)  to  the  west,  where 
they  will  relieve  the  elements  of  the  16th  Inf.  now  on  that 
line.  I  believe  that  there  is  very  little  in  front  of  you. 
Corps  is  very  insistent  that  they  should  have  exact  location 
of  your  front  lines  and  perhaps  you  can  send  some  officers 
down  to  get  location.  The  Division  Commander  directs 
that  you  push  forward  to  the  line  indicated  and  report  the 
location  of  your  front  line — ^By  direction  of  the  Division 
Commander — Raymond  Sheldon,  Chief  of  Staff.*' 

**12  hours  25  minutes  10th  Oct.  1918— Message  from 
Col.  Ely:  I  have  message  dated  10  a.m.  from  C.  O.  16th 
Inf.  as  follows:  C.  G.,  1st  Brig,  informs  me  that  your 
Division  is  to  relieve  our  lines  from  Sommerance  west. 
"We  are  advancing  on  that  line  this  a.m.  and  are  about 
there  now.    Please  advise  when  you  intend  to  make  relief 


90  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 


for  we  will  have  to  move  on  the   east  of  Sommerance 
in  support,     (sgd)  Koppeck." 


''Bonehead  7  (G-3,  1st  Corps)  reported  at  13  hours  5 
minutes  Oct.  10,  1918,  a  large  concentration  of  enemy 
troops  1  km.  east  of  St.  Juvin.  Wants  to  know  if  he  can 
fire  upon  them.  Albany  1  (C.  G.,  82nd  Div.)  replied  'Yes' 
to  above  question.  Same  information  had  been  received 
from  1st  Division  by  Albany  7  (G-3,  82nd  Div.)  and  same 
reply.'' 

Relief  op  a  Brigade  op  1st  Division. 

'  Shortly  after  11  hours,  Companies  E  and  F,  327th  In- 
fantry, under  Captain  Conklin,  were  sent  to  relieve  the 
front  line  of  the  16th  Infantry  north  of  Fleville.  .Early 
that  afternoon  the  two  remaining  companies  of  the  2nd 
Battalion  and  Companies  I,  L  and  M  of  the  3rd  Battalion 
moved  to  complete  the  relief.  The  2nd  Battalion  (Major 
Blanchard)  took  over  the  positions  o^  the  outpost  bat- 
talion, and  the  3rd  Battalion  (Captain  Davis)  relieved  the 
support  line.  The  movement  was  started  at  16  hours,  10th 
of  October,  and  was  completed  an  hour  later.  At  17  hours, 
the  following  telephone  report  v/as  received  at  Division 
Headquarters  from  the  164:th  Infantry  Brigade: 

**Mr.  Ely  reported  at  16  hours:  Operations  Officer  re- 
connoitered  and  reports  much  gas  in  Fleville  with  con- 
stant shelling.  Am  running  telephone  lines  forward. 
Blanchard  will  assume  command  of  the  advance  lines.  May 
establish  ammunition  dump  north  of  Fleville  to-night  and 
will  push  our  advance.  Observation  and  intelligence  work 
being  established.    Men  in  excellent  spirits,     (sgd)  Ely." 

After  the  relief  had  been  completed,  the  18th  Infantry 
informed  the  327th  Infantry  that  the  18th  Infantry  also 
was  to  be  included  in  the  relief.  The  depleted  companies 
of  the  327th  Infantry  therefore  extended  their  lines  to  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  91 

east  until  they  had  covered  in  addition  the  position  oc- 
cupied by  the  18th  Infantry.  The  most  advanced  outpost 
groups  of  the  1st  Division  were  relieved  by  similar  groups 
from  the  2nd  Battalion,  327th  Infantry,  in  little  patches 
of  woods  or  thickets  scattered  along  the  small  ridge  00.0- 
84.3  to  99.0-84.2.  This  outpost  line  is  about  500  meters 
south  of  an  east  and  west  line  through  Sommcranee. 
The  main  body  of  the  forward  battalion  of  the  1st  Divi- 
sion was  relieved  on  two  lines,  the  1st  of  which  was  500 
meters  south  of  the  outpost  detachments. 

The  164th  Inf.  Brig.  Field  Order  No.  7,  issued  during 
the  forenoon  of  October  10,  had  stated: 

*'The  new  position  will  be  simply  occupying  a  defensive 
sector. ' ' 

This  interpretation  of  the  relief  was  not  reversed  until 
late  on  the  night  of  October  10.  At  18  hours,  October  10, 
1918,  the  following  message  was  received  at  Division  Head- 
quarters from  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps: 

*' Operations  for  1st  Corps  to-morrow  will  be  continued 
at  7  o'clock.  Line  of  direction  is  Sivrey-lez-Buzancy  (ex- 
clusive)-Briquenay  (exclusive) -the  heights  northwest  and 
southwest  of  Le  Morthomme.  Liaison  with  38th  Corps  on 
eastern  edge  of  Bois  de  Bourgogne-Grand-Pre. ' ' 

(Answer.)  ** General  Duncan  to  Chief  of  Staff,  1st 
Corps:  *I  will  have  to  push  forward  all  the  artillery 
to-night.'  '' 

At  about  21  hours,  the  orders  for  attack  reached  the 
327th  Infantry. 

The  east  boundary  of  the  82nd  Division  sector  was 
now  Sommerance  ( exclusive  )-Sivry-lez-Buzancy  (ex- 
clusive) ;  the  west  boundary  Marcq  (inclusive) -St.  Juvin 
exclusive )  -Verpel  ( exclusive )  -Thenorgues  ( exclusive )  -Har- 
ricourt  (inclusive).  The  intermediate  Corps  objective 
was  the  line  Imecourt-Champigneulle-Grand-Pre.  The 
Corps  Order  called  for  a  halt  of  one-half  hour  on  this 


92  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

line  for  the  purpose  of  reorganization  and  movement  for- 
ward of  artillery.  The  first  objective  was  Sivry-lez- 
Buzancy  ( exclusive )-Verp el  (inclusive).  The  1st  Corps 
directed  that  divisions  advance  to  the  first  objective  in- 
dependently, prepared  to  advance  farther  to  the  Corps 
objective  at  13  hours.  The  1st  Corps  objective  was  Sivry- 
lez-Buzancy  ( exclusive  )-Thenorgues  (inclusive).  "When 
this  line  was  reached,  it  was  directed  that  exploitation 
be  carried  out  to  the  front  and  contact  kept  with  the 
enemy.  Five  tanks  were  ordered  to  support  the  attack  of 
the  82nd  Division.  The  artillery  was  to  keep  harassing 
and  interdiction  fire  in  front  of  the  infantry  with  one  ac- 
companying gun  for  each  front  line  battalion.  C  Company, 
321st  M.  G.  Battalion,  was  ordered  to  support  the  attack. 
The  jump-off  line  designated  was  the  Sommerance-St. 
Juvin  road. 

Colonel  Ely  directed  that  the  3rd  Battallion,  327th  In- 
fantry, (less  K  Company)  act  as  assault  battalion,  sup- 
ported by  the  2nd  Battalion,  with  the  1st  Battalion  (plus 
K  Company)  as  Divisional  reserve.  During  the  night  of 
October  10,  B  Company,  321st  M.  G.  Battalion  (Captain 
Cunningham),  relieved  machine-gun  elements  of  the  1st 
Division  at  the  cross  road,  300  meters  south  of  Sommerance. 
Later  in  the  night  Captain  Cunningham  sent  a  patrol  for- 
ward into  Sommerance  to  mak:e  a  reconnaissance.  This 
patrol  was  fired  on  from  the  center  of  the  village. 

Capt.  McWhorter  with  C  Company,  321st  Machine  Gun 
Battalion,  moved  into  a  support  position,  just  north  of 
Fleville.  During  the  heavy  shell  fire  which  took  place 
during  this  change  of  position.  Lieutenant  Dutton  was 
severely  wounded  and  died  shortly  afterwards  in  the  hos- 
pital. 

Col.  Gordon  Johnston  came  to  the  82nd  Division  as  Chief 
of  Staff  at  2  hours  20  minutes,  October  11.  Colonel 
Sheldon  was  relieved  and  went  to  the  77th  Division. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION  93 

It  will  now  be  necessary  to  turn  back  to  the  325tli  In- 
fantry and  follow  their  progress  through  the  night  of 
October  10.  At  darkness  on  that  day,  Eegimental  Head- 
quarters was  established  on  the  Cornay  Ridge  with  the 
3rd  Battalion  on  the  slope  in  reserve.  The  1st  and  2nd 
Battalions  were  scattered  from  that  point  north  to  the 
Aire  River  doing  patrol  work  over  a  large  territory.  Dur- 
ing the  day,  the  battalions  of  the  Regiment  had  been  in 
close  liaison  with  the  regimental  commander.  This  is  evi- 
denced by  the  numerous  messages  in  the  regimental  dossier 
of  which  the  following  are  of  special  interest: 

To  Capt.  Marshburn,  Co.  G,  2:50  p.m.     **No  Germans 

found  on  this  side  of  the  River  Aire.     Point  84.5-96.8  is 

covered   by  M.    G.   fire   from  Boche   trenches.     Able  to 

locate  M.  G.  at  86.5-97.8.    No  Germans  seen  in  St.  Juvin, 

but  about  100  seen  to  east  of  St.  Juvin  in  trenches  from 

85.5-97.4  to  85.4-98.2.    The  R.  R.  tracks  along  river  could 

not  be  patrolled  on  account  of  M.  G.  fire.     We  did  not 

cross  river  on  account  of  so  many  guns  opening  fire.    R.  R. 

dump  at  8.45-96.8  was  fired  on  by  our  artillery  and  a  few 

buildings  are  on  fire.     The  Germans  threw  two  barrages 

and  we  had  to  advance  toward  St.  Juvin  slowly.    We  could 

only  observe  St.  Juvin,  but  did  not  draw  fire,     (sgd.) 

Fawcetf 

«  •  •  •  * 

To  C.  0.,  325tli  Inf.    **No  report  of  river  crossings  hxre 

been  received  from  our  patrols,     (sgd.)  Hawkins.'' 
*  #  *  *  * 

To  C.  0.,  325th  Inf.,  17  hours.  '* Patrols  sent  toward 
Aire  River  have  reached  Hill  240  at  point  96.3-83.3  and 
extend  west  from  there  to  point  97.4-83.3.  Patrols  report 
they  have  been  held  up  by  enemy  and  our  own  artillery^ 
No  sign  of  enemy  infantry,     (sgd.)  Lott'' 

Note  to  Regimental  Commander :  '  *  There  has  been  slight 
shelling  of  Cornay  by  enemy  artillery.  Our  patrols  re- 
ceived very  severe  shelling  at  times.  Men  in  Cornay  have 
received  fire  from  Boche  plane  twice  during  the  day.  This 
fire  they  returned.     One  Lieut,  and  10  men  from  164th 


94  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Brig,  were  found  wounded  in  enemy  territory  and  evacu- 
ated. The  Lieutenant  and  three  men  were  found  3 
km.  from  our  present  line  by  patrol  from  Co.  G.  This 
Lieut,  states  that  Germans  retired  about  10  p.m.  9th- 
10th  Oct.  and  left  them  in  dugout  with  three  other  men. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  relief  to  our  front  as  about 
500  troops  were  exchanged  in  region  to  right  of  St.  Juvin 
on  Oct.  10.     (sgd)  Bettes." 

In  addition  to  these  messages,  the  following  despatch  was 
received  by  the  division  commander  from  Headquarters, 
163rd  Infantry  Brigade: 

At  19  hours  5  minutes:  *' 326th  Inf.  reports  that  they 
learned  from  five  prisoners  that  the  enemy  is  evacuating 
St.  Juvin.'' 

Between  midnight  and  1  hour,  night  of  October  10-11, 
Colonel  "Whitman  received  Field  Order  No.  8,  164th  Inf. 
Brig.,  attached  to  which  was  82nd  Division  Field  Order 
No.  23.  The  substance  of  these  orders  have  already  been 
outlined  in  the  statement  of  orders  received  by  the  327th 
Infantry  during  the  night  of  October  10-11.  Some  further 
details  not  previously  covered  and  contained  in  both  orders 
are  as  follows: 

*'For  this  attack,  the  164th  Brig,  is  composed  of  the 
325th  and  327th  Inf.  Regiments.  Each  regiment  will 
have  one  battalion  in  front  line;  one  battalion  in  support 
and  one  battalion  in  reserve.  Reserve  Battalion,  327th 
Inf.,  will  be  the  Division  reserve  and  will  follow  the  sup- 
port battalion,  same  regiment,  at  3  kil.  The  reserve  bat- 
talion, 325th  Inf.  will  be  the  brigade  reserve  and  will 
follow  the  support  battalion,  same  regiment,  at  3  kil.  The 
Machine  Gun  Co.,  325th  Inf.,  will  be  attached  to  the  ad- 
vance battalion  of  that  regiment,  and  B  Co.,  321st  M.  G. 
Bn.  to  Advance  Battalion,  327th  Inf.  The  remaining 
machine  gun  companies  constitute  the  brigade  reserve  and 
will  be  maneuvered  and  commanded  by  the  C.  0.  321st 
M.  G.  Bn.  Field  and  combat  trains  will  accompany  their 
units." 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  95 

The  Brigade  order  stated  that  information  of  the  enemy 
and  our  own  troops  is  as  set  forth  in  Par.  1  of  the  Divi- 
sional order,  which  reads: 

*^{a)  The  enemy  has  been  driven  north  of  the  line 
Sommerance-St.Juvin-Grand-Pre.  St.  Juvin  is  reported 
evacuated. 

(&)  The  1st  Corps  attacks  at  7  hours,  11th  Oct.,  1918, 
on  its  present  front." 

The  Division  order  further  provided  that : 

**  Battalions  that  are  to  lead  the  attack  in  each  brigade 
will  be  moved  north  of  the  Aire  Kiver  before  daylight. 
Crossing  will  be  covered  by  strong  patrols. ' ' 

"The  163rd  Brig,  will  attack  between  the  west  boundary 
of  the  Division  and  Meridian  98.5  and  the  164th  Brig, 
between  the  same  meridian  and  the  east  boundary  of  the 
Division. ' ' 

Colonel  Whitman  was  confronted  with  the  problem  of 
getting  to  the  jump-off  at  5  hours,  October  11th,  from  his 
extended  positions  north  of  Comay.  The  distance  from 
Cornay  Ridge  to  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  road  was  about 
4  kilometers.  No  fords  had  been  found  by  the  patrols 
and  the  1st  and  2nd  Battalions  were  extended  over  a 
front  of  two  kilometers.  The  night  was  dark  and  the  time 
was  short.  It  was  decided  not  to  waste  valuable  hours 
hunting  for  fords  under  such  unfavorable  conditions.  It 
was  known  that  the  engineers  were  constructing  a  foot 
bridge  at  Fleville.  This  was  selected  for  the  point  at 
which  to  cross  the  river.  The  3rd  Battalion  on  the  Cornay 
Ridge  was  ordered  to  start  immediately.  Rush  orders  were 
sent  to  the  2nd  Battalion  to  assemble  and  foUow.  The  1st 
Battalion  was  put  in  Brigade  reserve  with  orders  to  f  oUow 
at  three  kilometers.  The  leading  companies  felt  their  way 
to  the  river  and  waded  it  in  single  file,  using  the  foot  bridge 
as  a  guide.    Daylight  found  the  8rd  Battalion,  325th  In- 


96  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

fantry,  about  1%  kilometers  from  the  St.  Juvin-Som- 
merance  Road  and  moving  with  all  possible  speed  in 
column  of  twos  up  the  river  road  from  Fleviile  to  St. 
Juvin.  It  was  apparent  to  Colonel  Whitman  that  he 
would  not  be  in  position  by  5  hours,  but  he  felt  confident 
that  his  dispositions  would  be  complete  on  the  jump-off 
line  by  6  hours  with  a  fuU  hour  remaining  for  final  in- 
structions before  attacking  at  7  hours. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  SOMMERANCE-ST.  JUVIN  ROAD 

The  story  of  events  now  returns  to  the  327th  Infantry. 
Before  daybreak  the  three  companies  of  the  3rd  Battalion 
moved  forward  from  the  lines  on  which  the  2nd  Battalion 
had  relieved  the  1st  Division  and  advanced  about  50Q 
meters  to  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road.  As  these 
companies  advanced  they  found  themselves  in  immediate 
contact  with  the  enemy  who  retired  slowly  fighting  as  he 
fell  back.  Our  men  were  in  position  on  this  jump-off  line 
in  accordance  with  orders  at  5  hours.  The  battalion  was 
extended  along  this  road  to  cover  a  kilometer  of  front. 
The  right  flank  was  about  250  meters  west  of  the  first 
building  in  the  western  outskirts  of  Sommerance.  After 
arrival  on  this  line,  machine  guns  and  artillery  fire  con- 
tinued to  harass  our  troops.  A  heavy  mist  hung  over 
the  entire  country.  The  battalion  appeared  to  be  alone 
on  a  desolate  road.  Liaison  groups  could  find  no  evidence 
of  support  on  either  flank.  At  7  hours  the  battalion  ad- 
vanced followed  by  the  2nd  Battalion  in  support.  Captain 
Cunningham  placed  his  machine  gunners  with  the  sup- 
port waves  and  advanced  with  the  infantry.  On  reaching 
the  top  of  the  ridge  85.5,  a  few  hundred  meters  from  the 
initial  point,  enemy  fire  became  very  intense.  Captain 
Davis,  commanding  the  3rd  Battalion,  was  severely 
wounded  less  than  twenty  minutes  after  jumping  off.  Cap- 
tain Henley  of  M  Company  took  command  of  the  bat- 

97 


98  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

talion,  but  was  himself  shot  down  shortly  afterward.  All 
the  remaining  officers  of  this  battalion  became  casualties 
within  a  few  minutes  after  the  advance  was  commenced, 
and  the  men  went  forward  led  entirely  by  non-commis- 
sioned officers.  No  tanks  had  appeared;  no  troops  had 
come  up  on  either  side;  no  friendly  artillery  barrage  was 
apparent  and  bands  of  wire  met  the  leading  wave  on 
Ridge  85.5,  northwest  of  Sommerance.  As  the  men  strug- 
gled through  these  entanglements,  they  were  subjected  to 
terrific  enfilade  fire  along  the  wire  and  from  both  flanks. 
They  were  also  under  a  continuous  rain  of  missiles  from 
the  front.  Major  Blanchard,  commanding  the  leading  and 
support  battalions,  saw  that  the  3rd  Battalion  was  melting 
into  disorganization  and  took  forward  the  2nd  Battalion 
to  continue  the  attack.  The  2nd  Battalion,  E  and  F  Com- 
panies leading,  arrived  abreast  of  the  remnants  of  the  3rd 
Battalion  and  endeavored  to  carry  on  from  this  point. 
During  the  advance  of  the  2nd  Battalion  to  the  Som- 
merance Road,  1st  Lt.  G.  H.  Byrd,  Adjutant,  2nd  Bn., 
was  killed  by  a  fragment  of  shell  at  Major  Blanchard 's 
side. 

"When  the  assault  had  proceeded  for  about  a  kilometer 
north  of  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road,  Major  Blanchard 
perceived  that  groups  of  the  enemy  were  filtering  south 
from  one  thicket  to  another  and  out  of  the  various  small 
patches  of  woods  that  dot  this  open  country.  Already 
the  enemy  had  collected  in  considerable  numbers  in  rear 
of  his  right  flank.  He  could  see  no  American  troops  com- 
ing to  his  support  from  any  direction.  It  was  now  about 
9  hours  30  minutes.  Major  Blanchard  sent  Lieutenant 
Hackney  to  Colonel  Ely,  who  had  established  an  advance 
Regimental  P.  C.  in  a  gully  just  south  of  the  Sommer- 
ance-St.  Juvin  Road.  Lieutenant  Hackney  explained  the 
present  situation  to  the  regimental  commander,  who  sent 
word  to  Major  Blanchard  to  use  his  own  judgment  and 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  99 

fall  back  if  he  found  it  necessary.  About  twenty  minutes 
after  receiving  this  message.  Major  Blanchard  directed 
retirement  to  the  Sommerance  Road.  This  movement  was 
covered  by  the  machine  gunners  under  Captain  Cunning- 
ham. The  Infantry  was  withdrawn  in  orderly  fashion  by 
groups,  each  retirement  feeing  covered  by  our  fire.  Captain 
Fowle,  Regimental  Operations  Officer,  and  Lieutenant 
Hackney,  2nd  Bn.  Intelligence  Officer,  personally  placed 
each  detachment  in  position  on  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance 
Road.  Outposts  and  observation  posts  were  established 
300  meters  north  of  this  road.  Through  this  screen,  the 
last  of  the  Infantry  and  finally  the  machine  gunners 
leap-frogged  to  the  rear.  A  brave  effort  was  checked, 
but  the  327th  Infantry  had  pierced  and  held  for  a  time 
the  outpost  of  the  Kriemhilde-Stellung.  The  following 
officers  of  the  327th  Infantry  died  that  morning:  1st 
Lieutenant  Byrd  (already  mentioned),  1st  Lt.  John  W. 
Anderson  (Gas  Officer,  3rd  Bn.)  and  1st  Lt.  "Walter  B. 
Saddler,  Co.  E.  Captain  Conkling,  F  Co.,  received 
wounds  from  which  he  later  died.  Many  officers  were 
wounded  and  a  large  number  of  enlisted  men  were  killed 
and  wounded.  During  this  engagement  Lieutenants 
Rowell,  Grainger  and  Moylan,  all  of  Company  B,  321st 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  were  evacuated  for  wounds.  1st 
Lieutenant  Fitzpatrick,  Co.  E,  and  2nd  Lt.  Theodore  H. 
Smith,  Co.  L,  with  a  little  handful  of  men  were  so  far 
in  front  that  when  the  retirement  came  they  were  unable 
to  get  back  before  being  cut  off  by  the  enemy.  Lieutenant 
Fitzpatrick  was  not  captured  until  that  night  and  Lieu- 
tenant Smith  until  the  next  morning.  A  number  of  the 
enemy  were  in  turn  captured  by  our  troops  during  this 
attack.  All  prisoners  taken  were  from  the  37th  German 
Division. 


100  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 


The  325th  Infantry  on  October  11,  1918 

The  story  of  the  325th  Infantry  left  that  unit  at  about 
6  hours  on  the  Fleville-St.  Juvin  Road,  hastening  to  get 
in  position  on  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road.  Colonel 
Whitman,  Captain  "Wright,  his  adjutant,  and  Major  Pierce 
were  at  the  head  of  the  column  consisting  of  Companies 
M,  I,  L  and  the  Regimental  Machine  Gun  Company,  in 
the  order  named.  About  300  meters  south  of  the  junc- 
tion formed  by  the  Fleville-St.  Juvin  Road  with  the 
Sommerance-St.  Juvin  Road,  a  burst  of  machine-gun  fire 
from  the  right  flank  swept  the  column.  Several  men 
fell  and  our  men  moved  into  the  ditch  on  the  east  side 
of  the  road  for  protection.  This  fire  came  from  the  crest 
and  slopes  of  the  hill  200  or  300  meters  east  of  the  river 
road.  This  hill  was  south  of  the  Sommerance-St.  Juvin 
Road.  Fire  also  came  from  the  slopes  of  Ridge  85.5 
to  the  north  and  from  the  direction  of  St.  Juvin.  Colonel 
Whitman  and  Major  Pierce  worked  forward  to  the  Som- 
merance  Road  for  a  personal  reconnaissance.  A  survey 
of  the  situation  showed  no  friendly  troops  in  sight,  but 
many  enemy  snipers  and  machine  gunners  on  the  high 
ground  immediately  ahead.  Artillery  now  opened  on  the 
road  on  which  the  regiment  lay.  It  was  6  hours  45  min- 
utes. To  get  into  position  for  the  Corps  attack,  it  was 
necessary  to  deploy  to  the  right  front  and  extend  for  a 
kilometer  in  width  from  the  road  junction  to  the  east.  No 
deployment,  however,  could  be  made  until  the  enemy  was 
dislodged  from  the  hill  on  the  immediate  right  of  our 
column.  Orders  were  sent  to  the  two  rear  infantry  com- 
panies (I  and  L)  to  break  off  to  their  right  and  send  a 
skirmish  line  with  its  left  flank  on  the  highway  to  sweep 
the  enemy  north  of  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road. 
This  was  successfully  done  and  the  regiment  extricated  for 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DfVIJ^JOc>r  lai 

the  moment  from  the  peril  of  close  range  flank  fire.  In  this 
preliminary  action,  Capt.  Charles  A.  Fowler  of  Company  M 
was  killed  as  he  leaped  to  the  top  of  the  bank  to  direct 
the  deployment  of  his  company. 

As  the  line  passed  the  jump-off  road,  Company  M  joined 
on  the  left  flank,  and  at  7:20  the  attack  moved  forward 
and  started  up  the  slopes  of  Ridge  85.5  under  a  heavy 
fire  which  ran  along  the  crest  clear  to  St.  Juvin.  The 
ridge  was  found  to  be  heavily  protected  by  enemy  wircw 
Along  the  top  of  the  crest  was  a  sunken  road  which  ran 
due  west  into  St.  Juvin.  No  American  troops  appeared 
on  the  left  flank  of  the  regiment,  but  St.  Juvin  was  ob- 
viously full  of  Germans  who  kept  up  a  continuous  raking 
fire. 

The  promised  tanks  had  not  appeared  and  no  75  mm. 
accompanying  gun  had  reported.  There  was  no  friendly 
barrage  preceding  the  advance.  One  platoon  of  the 
Machine  Gun  Company  supported  the  advance  of  I  Com- 
pany and  another  platoon  cooperated  with  M  Company. 
The  3rd  Platoon  used  indirect  fire  over  the  heads  of  our 
advancing  troops.  The  machine  gunners  moved  forward 
with  this  assault  battalion  and  lost  heavily.  Our  men  tore 
through  the  wire,  charged  and  maneuvered  against  the 
German  machine  gunners  and  killed  and  were  killed  until 
the  top  of  the  ridge  was  in  our  possession.  This  was  ac- 
complished at  8  hours  5  minutes.  This  success  could  not 
have  been  achieved  except  by  troops  of  the  highest  morale. 
The  right  flank  company  could  see  no  American  troops 
on  the  right,  but  the  thick  mist  did  not  permit  a  far  view. 
At  8  hours  30  minutes,  liaison  was  established  along  the 
85.5  Ridge  with  the  327th  Infantry.  Colonel  Whitman, 
accompanied  by  Captain  Wright,  proceeded  along  the 
fire-swept  road  half-way  to  Sommerance  and  talked  with 
Captain  Fowle,  Operations  Ofiieer,  327th  Inf. 

The  opposition  of  the  enemy  to  our  advance  beyond 


102  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd -DIVISION 

the  sunken  road  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  became  so 
intense  and  the  fire  from  the  left  flank  assumed  such  pro- 
portions that  the  325th  Infantry  v/as  unable  to  make 
further  progress.  Indeed,  it  became  a  very  serious  ques- 
tion whether  the  regiment  could  cling  to  the  position  won 
without  suffering  virtual  annihilation.  Colonel  Whitman 
sent  a  runner  back  on  the  road  toward  Fleville  with  a 
message  to  Major  Hawkins,  commanding  the  2nd  Bat- 
talion in  support,  and  directed  that  reinforcement  be  sent 
up.  F  Company  was  immediately  ordered  forward,  re- 
porting to  Colonel  Whitman  at  the  crossroads  at  about 
9  hours.  This  company  was  used  to  cover  the  left  flank 
of  the  regiment  by  filling  in  the  gap  between  the  <3ross- 
roads  and  the  Aire  Eiver  to  the  west.  The  Brigade  Order 
had  given  meridian  S8.5  as  the  western  boundary  of  the 
brigade.  This  gave  a  front  of  500  meters  immediately 
east  of  the  Aire  Eiver  to  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade.  No 
troops  appeared,  however,  to  fill  this  gap  and  Colonel 
Whitman  made  the  disposition  already  indicated. 

About  10  o'clock,  Capt.  Parley  B.  Christensen  of  I 
Company  was  killed  on  the  ridge.  The  regiment  had  now 
lost  two  of  its  company  conunanders. 

325th  Infantry  Alone  on  Sommerance  Koad 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  10  hours,  Major  Blanch- 
ard  had  withdrawn  from  his  point  of  farthest  advance 
and  was  organized  on  this  same  ridge  between  the  325th 
Infantry  on  the  west  and  Sommerance  on  the  east.  Both 
regiments  were  now  in  liaison  and  Major  Blanchard,  go- 
ing to  Colonel  Ely,  told  him  that  he  considered  the  position 
a  good  one,  although  very  heavy  fire  was  coming  from 
the  front  and  right  flank.  At  10  hours  the  following 
message  was  sent  to  the  C.  G.,  164th  Brig.,  at  the  P.  C. 
in  Fleville: 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  103 

**Oiily  one  officer  left  in  the  battalion.  Line  was  ahead 
of  both  flanks  and  compelled  to  draw  back.  Now  on 
parallel  85.5.  Whitman  reported  on  my  left.  My  officers 
and  men  so  exhausted  they  are  not  effective.  Strong  re- 
sistance— shells — ^M.  G.  Prisoners  say  three  regiments  in 
front.  A  strong  counter-attack  could  not  be  stopped  by 
us.    Request  reinforcements,     (sgd)  Ely.*' 

At  10  hours  45  minutes,  the  following  message  was 
sent  to  Brigade  Headquarters: 

'*No  support  on  right  flank.  Both  advance  battalions 
almost  decimated.  Men  fought  hard.  Not  a  straggler 
met.  Have  withdrawn  to  jump-off  road.  Slight  shelter. 
Request  immediate  help,      (sgd)   Ely." 

The  Division  dossier  contains  the  following  record: 

*' Message  No.  131,  11th  Oct.  1918— from  164th  Brig.— 
at  llliours  40  minutes:  From  Col.  Ely  at  99.5-84.7,  11 
hours  30  minutes.  Lost  50  per  cent  of  my  command. 
Boche  counter-attacked;  filtering  in  through  woods.  Un- 
able to  get  in  touch  on  my  right.  Line  now  on  Som- 
merance-St.  Juvin  Road.  Unless  I  drop  back,  will  prob- 
ably be  cut  off." 

*  *  *  *  * 

General  Lindsey  notified  Division  Headquarters  of  his 
reply  to  Ely  as  follows:  *'Drop  back  under  cover  of 
machine  gun  fire.  Dig  in  if  necessary  and  hold.  Notify 
Col.  Whitman.'  Ely  said  he  had.  I  ordered  artillery  fire 
in  front." 

Major  Blanchard  received  a  message  at  11  hours  30 
minutes  from  Colonel  Ely  ordering  the  withdrawal  of 
troops  of  the  327th  Infantry  to  a  ridge  one  kilometer 
south  of  the  Sommerance-St.  Juvin  Road.  Shortly  before 
this  time,  Colonel  Whitman  received  a  message  from 
Colonel  Ely  stating  that  the  327th  Infantry  was  with- 
drawing about  one  kilometer  south  of  the  Sommerance 


104  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Road.  As  the  327th  Infantry  withdrew  to  the  Sommerance- 
Fleville  Boad  on  practically  the  same  lines  from  which 
they  had  jumped  off  that  morning,  Major  Hawkins  ad- 
vanced with  E  Company  followed  by  G  Company,  both 
of  the  325th  Infantry,  and  took  up  a  position  along  the 
ridge  on  the  right  flank  of  the  325th  Infantry  line,  re- 
placing the  troops  of  the  327th  Infantry.  H  Company, 
325th  Infantry,  had  been  detached  from  Major  Hawkins' 
Battalion  by  the  Brigade  Commander  for  military  police 
work  in  the  vicinity  of  Fleville. 

About  11  hourSj  Capt.  Lamar  Y.  McLeod,  Operations 
Officer,  was  killed,  making  the  third  captain  lost  from  the 
325th  Infantry.  Colonel  Whitman  sent  word  detailing  the 
serious  situation  which  confronted  him  and  asked  that  the 
1st  Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  in  reserve  be  sent  to  his 
assistance.  General  Lindsey  directed  Colonel  "Whitman  to 
hold  the  ridge  at  all  costs  and  added  that  the  327th  In- 
fantry would  be  ordered  forward  again  to  the  ridge.  The 
companies  of  the  3rd  Battalion  on  the  crest  formed  a 
salient,  the  flanks  of  which  were  continually  swept  by 
machine  gun  fire.  Companies  B  and  C,  325th  Infantry, 
arrived  at  11  hours  30  minutes  and  were  placed  below  the 
crest  to  resist  any  threatened  counter-attack.  Companies 
A  and  D,  325th  Infantry,  were  sent  by  General  Lindsey 
to  reinforce  the  327th  Infantry,  but  Colonel  Ely  despatched 
them  to  Colonel  Whitman.  Upon  their  arrival  at  325th 
Infantry  Headquarters,  both  companies  were  deployed 
upon  the  ridge.  The  entire  regiment  was  now  in  the  breech 
with  the  exception  of  H  and  K  Companies. 

At  12  hours,  Capt.  Louis  L.  Battey,  A  Co.,  was  killed 
while  leading  his  men  forward  over  the  bullet-swept 
Sommerance  Road.  The  regiment  had  now  suffered  a 
loss  of  four  company  commanders  in  a  desperate  half- 
day  of  fighting.  Four  enemy  counter-attacks  were  made 
during  the  day.     All  the  four  attacks  were  bloodily  re- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  »IYISI0N  105 

pulsed.  Our  artillery  responded  promptly  to  calls  for  a 
barrage.  Twice  this  fire  fell  upon  the  ridge  and  our  men 
withdrew  to  the  south  slope,  immediately  reoccupying  the 
hill  as  the  fire  lifted,  to  follow  the  retiring  enemy.  A 
message  sent  by  Colonel  Whitman  at  14  hours  to  Major 
Pierce,  3rd  Bn.,  illustrates  the  situation: 

**At  2:30  P.M.  our  artillery  fire  will  stop.  After  that 
the  ridge  must  be  reoccupied.  The  troops  must  advance  no 
further  than  that.  They  must  dig  in  for  the  night.  These 
orders  are  peremptory,     (sgd)  Whitman. '* 

■\ 

At  13  hours,  a  fifth  officer  of  this  regiment  was  killed^ 
1st  Lt.  ^Farley  W.  Moody. 

327th  Infantry  Returns  to  Sommerance  Ridge 

At  14  hours.  General  Lindsey  sent  the  following  mes- 
sage to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Burr,  commanding  the  1st  Bat-' 
talion,  327th  Infantry,  in  Divisional  Reserve. 

**  Report  with  your  command  to  Col.  Ely,  who  is 
hereby  instructed  to  counter-attack  at  once  from  the  woods 
at  99.5-83.9,  straight  north  and  regain  the  85.5  ridge,  and 
there  dig  in  and  organize  for  resistance.  Col.  Whitman 
will  be  instructed  to  advance  accordingly.  The  ridge  must 
be  regained,  but  do  not  go  beyond  the  ridge  to-night. '* 

The  1st  Battalion,  together  with  a  detail  of  seventy-five 
men  from  the  2nd  Battalion,  327th  Infantry,  went  forward 
under  command  of  Colonel  Burr  and  regained  the  85.5 
ridge  at  18  hours  30  minutes.  Here  the  regiment  dug  in, 
organizing  the  position  in  depth.  At  17  hours  10  minutes. 
Colonel  Whitman  sent  the  following  message  to  the  3rd 
Battalion,  325th  Infantry: 

**No  troops  are  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  ridge  without 
orders  from  me.    The  ridge  will  be  held  to  the  last.    All 


106  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

company  commanders  have  been  notified,      (sgd)    Whit* 
man. ' ' 

Among  other  messages  in  the  Division  dossier,  the  fol- 
lowing are  of  interest: 

No.  137— 11th  October  1918— From  164th  Brig.— 13 
hours  10  minutes:  ** Telephone  from  "Whitman  at  13  hours 
10  said  that  Boche  was  counter-attacking  him  from  ridge 
north  of  parallel  85  between  meridian  98  and  99,  but  he 
does  not  fear  for  his  left  flank.    Have  put  all  my  available 

artiUery  on  that  ridge. '* 

*  #  •  •  • 

From  164th  Brig-. — ^13:15  hours:  ''My  whole  brigade 
is  and  has  been  east  of  the  river  since  H  hour.  My  left 
flank  not  far  from  cross  roads  98.2-84.9.  It  seems  that 
164th  Brig,  was  the  only  one  to  get  off  at  H  hour.  Keport 
that  Division  on  my  right  is  advancing  near  parallel  85 
is  the  first  I  have  heard  of  them.     They  must  have  just 

jumped  off.     (sgd)  Lindsey." 

*  «  #  *  * 

Message  No.  140—11  Oct.  1918— Col.  Johnston  to  Gen. 
Lindsey  at  14  hours :  * '  You  are  authorized  to  take  the  Divi- 
sional Reserve  and  retake  the  crest  along  the  85.5  parallel. 
There  are  supporting  troops  close  in  your  rear.  Having 
secured  ther  crest,  dig  in  and  hold  line  until  further 
orders. ' ' 

«  *  *  «  # 

Col.  Johnston  to  G-3,  1st  Corps:  '* General  Liggett  was 
in  and  is  satisfied  with  the  situation.  "We  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  be  knocked  off  that  ridge,  but  we  are  going  to 
take  the  85.5  parallel.  We  are  using  all  that  we  have  on 
that  side  (east  of  the  river)  and  you  have  those  troops 
just  below  (78th  Division).  We  would  like  to  have  you 
send  one  battalion  to  FleviUe.  Can  you  do  it  ?  Col.  Mont- 
gomery said  he  would  take  it  up  with  the  Chief  of  Staff 
and  notify  us.*' 

In  the  Division  dossier  is  one  memorandum  which  reveals 
an  estimate  of  the  troops  of  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade 
during  a  very  critical  time  in  the  operations  of  this  des- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  107 

perate  day.  A  squadron  of  the  2nd  Cavalry  attached  to 
the  1st  Army  was  performing  liaison  duty  in  the  5th 
Corps.  A  captain  from  this  unit,  from  a  post  south  of 
Sommerance,  sent  the  following  message  to  the  1st  Brigade, 
1st  Division,  which  repeated  the  message  to  the  82nd  Divi- 
sion. This  message  reached  Division  Headquarters  at  14 
hours  45  minutes: 

''Major  Blanehard,  327th  Inf.  with  300  men,  holding 

crest  of  hill  at  Sonmierance,  withdrawing  to  crest  of  hill 

1  km.  south  of  Sommerance.     Morale  and  confidence  of 

men  very  good,  but  officers  badly  needed  by  the  327th 

Inf.    Most  of  compaaies  without  officers,  who  were  killed 

or  wounded.    Surgeon  and  bandages  requested.'* 
*  *  *  *  # 

"At  13  hours  40  minutes,  from  crest  of  hill  1  km.  south 
of  Sommerance.  Captain  Fraser,  2nd  Bn.,  325th  Inf.  has 
reached  this  point  to  support  327th  Inf.  Fresh  troops  with 
splendid  morale.*' 

Night  found  both  regiments  of  the  164th  Brigade  hold- 
ing ridge  85.5  between  Sommerance  and  St.  Juvin. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Burr,  now  commanding  the  327th  In- 
fantry, received  the  following  message  from  General 
Lindsey : 

**  Congratulate  you  upon  attaining  the  ridge.  Division 
is  greatly  pleased  but  anxious  about  your  defense.  Under 
these  circumstances  the  ridge  must  not  be  allowed  again 
to  get  into  the  enemy's  hands." 

The  2nd  Battalion  of  the  325th  Infantry  was  on  the  right 
of  327th  Infantry,  and  outposted  the  brigade  line  near  Som- 
merance. A  patrol  from  this  Battalion  got  in  touch  with 
the  1st  Division  about  a  kilometer  to  the  southeast,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Cote  de  Maldah.  The  1st  and  3rd  Bat- 
talions of  the  325th  Infantry,  partially  mingled,  extended 
along  Ridge  85.5  for  about  one  kilometer  of  front  on  the 


108  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

left  of  the  327th  Infantry.  Colonel  Whitman's  regiment 
had  that  day  lost  five  officers  killed  and  twelve  officers 
wounded,  among  whom  was  Major  Pierce,  commanding  the 
3rd  Battalion.  Major  Pierce  refused  to  be  evacuated. 
Many  enlisted  men  had  been  killed  and  more  than  two 
hundred  wounded  men  evacuated.  The  Regimental  Sur- 
geon, Major  Feaster,  had  established  his  advance  dressing 
station  where  the  first  casualties  occurred  and  worked  with 
his  assistant  for  twenty  hours  under  continuous  fire. 

The  regiment  had  taken  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
prisoners  and  captured  twenty  machine  guns.  The  Brigade 
had  been  tried  to  the  utmost,  but  had  broken  through  the 
outpost  line  of  the  Kriemhilde-Stellung.  From  the  posi- 
tion gained  that  day,  our  troops  never  receded. 

The  action  of  October  11,  1918,  banished  any  thought 
that  the  enemy  intended  an  extensive  withdrawal.  On 
the  contrary,  he  had  evidenced  a  grim  purpose  to  hold  a 
terrain  so  admirably  adapted  for  defense.  Neither  was  he 
content  to  permit  the  American  line  to  remain  in  undis- 
turbed possession  of  what  had  been  gained.  In  the  four 
counter-attacks  launched  against  us  on  October  11,  the 
enemy  had  shown  the  utmost  prodigality  in  expending  his 
infantry  and  selected  machine  gunners.  His  assaults  had 
crumbled  under  our  fire,  which  inflicted  heavy  losses.  As 
each  wave  shattered  and  fell  back,  substantial  numbers  of 
prisoners  were  left  in  our  hands. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  MARCQ  BRIDGEHEAD 

To  complete  the  account  of  the  operations  of  the  82nd 
Division  on  October  11,  1918,  there  remains  only  the  epic 
story  of  the  2n(i  Battalion,  326th  Infantry.  This  narrative 
has  already  described  the  advance  of  the  1st  and  the  3rd 
Battalions  of  the  326th  Infantry  on  October  10,  1918,  in- 
cluding the  occupation  of  La  Besogne  and  Marcq  by  the 
1st  Battalion. 

At  14  hours,  October  10,  the  following  message  was  re- 
corded in  the  Division  dossier : 

Greneral  Duncan  to  General  Cronin:  "Hold  line  of  re- 
sistance and  at  the  same  time  press  on  to  the  river.  Get 
a  bridgehead  across." 

After  message  received  from  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps^ 
General  Duncan  called  General  Cronin  again  adding: 

"It  will  be  necessary  to  advance  your  line  of  resistance 
towards  Marcq  and  drive  enemy  across  the  Aire." 

At  16  hours  50  minutes,  the  following  telephone  message 
was  sent  from  Division  Headquarters  to  the  Command- 
ing Generals  163rd  and  164th  Brigades: 

"Push  patrols  across  Aire  River  to  your  north  this  aftei 
noon  and  to-night.    Direct  them  to  investigate  and  report 

109 


110  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

upon  available  fords  and  bridges.  Enemy  identifications 
from  the  north  side  of  the  river  are  desired.  Early  report 
on  result  of  these  patrols  to  be  made." 

The  2nd  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  less  G  Company,  was 
in  reserve  until  mid-afternoon,  October  10.  G  Company 
of  this  battalion  was  a  combat  liaison  group  between  the 
1st  and  3rd  Battalions.  About  16  hours,  the  2nd  Bat- 
talion reached  Pylone.  Here  General  Cronin  met  Major 
Jones,  the  battalion  commander,  and  directed  that  the  2nd 
Battalion  effect  a  passing  of  lines  through  the  3rd  Battalion ; 
then  continue  to  the  town  of  Marcq,  cross  the  Aire  River 
and  occupy  the  town  of  St.  Juvin  and  Hill  182,  north  of 
the  town.  Company  G  rejoined  the  battalion,  which  moved 
through  the  3rd  Battalion  and  advanced  to  the  heights, 
south  of  Marcq.  The  326th  Infantry  Machine  Gun  Com- 
pany was  attached  to  this  battalion. 

It  was  dusk  when  E  and  G  Companies  descended  from 
the  ridge  into  the  town  of  Marcq.  Major  Jones  estab- 
lished his  P.  C.  in  the  edge  of  the  town  and  directed  B 
and  G  Companies  to  proceed  north  and  cross  the  river. 
E  Company  was  ordered  to  use  the  railroad  bridge  south- 
west of  St.  Juvin  and  G  Company  the  Marcq-St.  Juvin 
Road  bridge.  The  enemy  was  now  shelling  Marcq  heavily 
and  this  continued  throughout  the  night.  No  officer  or 
soldier  in  either  company  had  an  opportunity  to  recon- 
noiter  in  daylight  the  thousand  meters  of  terrain  between 
the  town  and  the  river.  It  was  a  cloudy  night  with  a 
bleak  wind  blowing.  G  Company  (Captain  Jeffers)  and 
E  Company  (1st  Lieutenant  Huff)  felt  their  way  down 
the  road  to  the  marshy  lowlands.  Here  Lieutenant  Huff 
found  the  railroad  and  followed  it  to  the  left,  while  Cap- 
tain Jeffers  continued  with  G  Company  along  the  road. 
Both  the  railroad  bridge  and  the  road  bridge  were  found 
to  be  destroyed.  Simultaneous  with  this  discovery,  G  Com- 
pany at  the  shattered  road  bridge  received  a  shower  of 


Culvert  near  "bloody  angle,"  Junction  St.  Juvin-Somraerance  Road 


Marcq  Bridgehead,  looking  toward  St.  Juvin 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  111 

machine-guii  bullets  from  enemy  outposts  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river.  The  presence  of  E  Company  at  the  rail- 
road bridge  was  not  noted.  Captain  Jeffers  and  Lieutenant 
Huff  sent  officer  patrols  along  the  river  bank  with  orders 
to  discover  a  ford.  The  patrols  returned  after  a  time  and 
reported  that  a  most  careful  reconnaissance  had  been  made 
but  that  no  ford  could  be  found.  It  was  stated  that  the 
banks  of  the  river  were  steep  and  the  water  too  deep  for 
wading.  A  soldier  with  a  rifle,  220  rounds  of  ammuni- 
tion and  50  pounds  of  other  equipment  can  not  swim  a 
river.  The  two  company  commanders  held  a  brief  con- 
ference and  decided  to  go  back  to  Major  Jones  in  Marcq 
for  further  instructions.  The  Major  directed  both  officers 
to  return  and  search  again,  step  by  step,  along  the  river. 
Only  when  certain  that  no  ford  existed  was  the  effort  to 
cross  to  be  abandoned.  Again  both  officers  and  men  were 
sent  on  this  mission.     This  time  also  no  ford  was  found. 

The  Aire  deepens  and  broadens  substantially  in  its  run 
from  St.  Juvin  to  Grand-Pre,  but  there  are  spots  suitable 
for  crossing  had  the  patrols  been  able  to  stumble  upon 
them  in  the  blackness  of  that  lowering  night.  Near 
the  destroyed  road  bridge  the  river  shallows  to  a  depth 
of  two  or  three  feet  of  water.  This  fact  escaped  our 
patrols.  When  this  situation  had  been  again  reported  to 
Major  Jones,  the  latter  telephoned  to  Colonel  Mc Arthur 
at  the  regimental  P.  C.  north  of  Pylone.  Colonel  McArthur 
conferred  with  General  Cronin,  who  directed  that  deter- 
mined efforts  be  made  to  cross  by  infiltration.  Major  Jones 
instructed  the  company  commanders  that  patrols  should 
make  a  reconnaissance  along  the  river  from  the  island 
southeast  of  St.  Juvin  for  a  kilometer  and  a  half  to  the 
west  and  filter  across  by  any  means  possible. 

As  in  all  previous  attempts  no  ford  was  found.  Captain 
Jeffers  then  directed  eight  successive  attempts  to  cross  on 
the  shattered  road  bridge.     It  was  possible  for  only  one 


112  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

man  at  a  time  to  scramble  along  this  precarious  footing, 
clinging  to  sections  of  the  hand-rail.  Each  of  these  in- 
dividual efforts  drew  concentrated  machine-gun  fire  which 
killed  several  of  our  men  and  effectively  blocked  the  pas- 
sage. During  the  presence  of  our  troops  along  the  river 
the  enemy  continued  to  shoot  up  Very  lights  between  St. 
Juvin  and  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  About  midnight 
the  two  companies  withdrew  to  the  heights  south  of  Marcq. 

At  this  time  a  conference  was  held  in  the  battalion 
P.  C.  at  which  Major  Jones  and  the  four  company  com- 
manders of  the  battalion  were  present.  Following  the  con- 
ference Major  Jones  telephoned  Colonel  Mc Arthur  that  it 
would  be  necessary  for  engineers  to  construct  a  bridge 
before  troops  could  get  across  the  river.  Colonel  McArthur 
communicated  with  General  Cronin,  who  ordered  a  platoon 
of  engineers  to  report  to  Major  Jones.  This  platoon  ar- 
rived under  the  personal  command  of  Major  Kelly,  307th 
Engineers,  at  2  hours  30  minutes,  October  11.  General 
Cronin  had  informed  Colonel  McArthur  meanwhile  that 
the  2nd  Battalion  would  attack  St.  Juvin  at  5  hours, 
October  11.  The  engineers  tore  down  planks  from  shell- 
wrecked  buildings  and  strapped  the  timbers  together  with 
their  gun  slings. 

And  now  came  an  event  of  special  significance.  Through 
the  first  half  of  the  night,  while  the  Infantry  patrols  were 
endeavoring  to  cross  on  the  demolished  road  bridge,  the 
enemy  machine  guns  had  chattered  out  a  heavy  fire  on 
this  point.  "When  the  unmistakable  noise  of  the  hasty 
bridge  building  began,  all  German  machine-gun  fire  on 
this  area  stopped.  Only  the  artillery  fire  on  the  general 
Marcq  area  continued.  The  Germans  were  now  ready  to 
receive  any  Infantry  at  this  crossing. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  113 


^D  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  October  11,  1918 

At  5  hours  on  October  11,  a  thick  mist  made  it  im- 
possible to  see  more  than  a  hundred  meters  away.  The 
battalion  moved  down  the  road  to  the  bridge  at  H  hour. 
All  units  were  in  column  of  twos  and  in  the  following 
order :  G  Company,  one  platoon  Regimental  Machine  Gun 
Company,  E  Company,  one  platoon  Regimental  Machine 
Gun  Company,  H  Company  and  F  Company. 

Company  B  (1st  Lt.  Thomas  C.  Carter,  Jr.)  and  Com- 
pany C  (Captain  Wert),  both  of  the  320th  Machine  Gun 
Battalion,  were  disposed  in  depth  on  the  heights  in  the 
vicinity  of  Marcq  and  given  the  mission  of  supporting  the 
attack  with  over-head  fire. 

The  enemy  was  quiet — ^unusually  quiet,  and  our  men 
made  little  noise.  It  was  hoped  that  the  mist  might  cur- 
tain the  attack  until  the  battalion  got  at  close  range.  Cap- 
tain Jeffers  led  on  to  the  narrow  bridge,  his  company  be- 
hind him  in  single  file.  About  haK  of  this  first  company 
was  over  when  a  terrific  burst  of  machine-gun  fire  swept 
the  bridge  and  the  straight  road  lined  with  men.  The 
men  of  G  Company  not  yet  on  the  bridge  turned  to  the 
right  and  rushed  into  the  water,  crossing  without  great 
difficulty  under  cover  of  the  opposite  bank  which  formed 
a  bulwark  some  three  feet  in  height.  The  machine  gun 
platoon  behind  G  Company  entered  the  water,  followed 
immediately  by  Lieutenant  Huff  and  E  Company.  Captain 
Jeffers  led  the  men  of  G  Company  fifty  to  one  hundred 
yards  on  to  the  open  ground  just  north  of  the  river  and 
east  of  the  road  into  St.  Juvin.  G  Company  was  followed 
by  the  machine  gun  platoon  attached  to  it.  Lieutenant  Huff 
swung  his  men  to  the  left,  wading  down  the  stream  and  then 
crawling  up  the  north  bank  of  the  river  which  offered  a 
natural  firing  position.     Some   automatic  riflemen   were 


114  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

pushed  a  few  yards  forward  on  the  left  of  the  St.  Juvin  Road. 
The  plan  of  attack  as  directed  by  Major  Jones  prior  to  H 
hour  called  for  an  enveloping  movement  against  St.  Juvin ; 
Company  G  was  to  flank  out  the  town  from  the  east  while 
E  Company  struck  from  the  west.  H  Company  was  to 
support  G  Company,  F  Company  to  support  the  thrust 
of  E  Company.  By  the  time  that  the  machine  gun  platoon 
in  support  of  E  Company  had  entered  the  water  and  had 
been  followed  by  half  of  H  Company,  it  was  impracticable 
to  use  more  men  along  the  river  bank  on  each  side  of  the 
bridge  than  were  already  employed.  The  two  platoons  of 
H  Company  swung  to  the  right  of  the  bridge  along  the 
river,  the  balance  of  H  Company  remained  under  slight 
cover  beside  the  road  running  south  of  the  river  to 
Marcq,  while  F  Company  deployed  on  the  first  ridge  near 
the  railroad  track. 

By  this  time  the  volume  of  enemy  machine-gun  fire  had 
grown  to  barrage  intensity.  G  Company  suffered  prac- 
tical annihilation.  Lieutenant  E.  N.  Leiboult,  G  Company, 
and  Lieutenant  Tate  of  the  Machine  Gun  Company  were 
both  killed,  Lieutenant  Ostranger  of  G  Company  was 
wounded  or  gassed  and  Lieutenant  Walter  A.  Richards 
of  G  Company  was  three  times  wounded.  Captain  Lamar 
Jeffers  was  first  wounded  at  the  beginning  of  the  action 
when  he  received  a  machine-gun  bullet  in  the  leg;  he 
continued  to  direct  the  action  of  his  company  and  some 
minutes  later  was  shot  through  the  jaw.  Captain  Jeffers 
then  summoned  Lieutenants  Huff  and  Carter  of  H  Com- 
pany to  the  river  bank  where  he  had  been  brought  back 
by  some  of  his  men.  He  stated  that  he  was  compelled 
to  turn  the  command  over  to  them  and  advised  that  they 
withdraw  the  men  at  once  before  all  were  killed.  Lieu- 
tenant Carter  assumed  command  and  the  position  was 
maintained  for  an  additional  twenty  minutes.  Our  men 
during  this   entire  period  saw   few   Germans  and  were 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  115 

compelled  to  choose  as  targets  the  doorways  and  windows 
of  St.  Juvin.  Some  fire  was  also  directed  at  the  crest  of 
the  ridge  east  and  west  of  the  town,  along  which  the 
enemy  appeared  to  be  entrenched. 

The  Attack  Abandoned 

A  little  after  6  hours  it  was  decided  to  abandon  a  task 
so  obviously  hopeless  and  for  which  so  heavy  a  price  had 
already  been  paid.  The  men  were  sent  back,  a  squad  at 
a  time,  with  orders  to  take  wide  intervals  across  the  fields 
to  the  foot  of  the  ridge  south  of  the  river  where  the  men 
were  reorganized  and  dug  in  along  the  ridge.  When  the 
withdrawal  commenced  Lieutenant  Frank  Carter  of  H  Com- 
pany was  seriously  wounded.  Three  officers  of  E  Company 
became  casualties  during  this  fight:  2nd  Lieutenant  Stone 
was  wounded,  and  1st  Lieutenants  Lisenby  and  Rogers 
were  gassed.  Of  the  officers  who  went  down  to  the  river 
on  this  day  all  were  casualties  except  two.  The  enlisted 
personnel  had  suffered  about  fifty  per-cent  casualties 
among  the  five  hundred  men  who  entered  the  fight.  Dur- 
ing the  night  of  October  10,  1918,  and  throughout  October 
11th  until  after  the  withdrawal  of  the  Infantry,  two  of 
our  machine  gun  platoons  maintained  a  firing  position  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  river  near  the  burned  railroad  bridge 
and  about  500  meters  west  of  the  road  bridge  used  by  the 
Infantry  October  11th.  One  platoon  under  Lieutenant 
Gregorie  came  from  Company  C,  320th  Machine  Gun  Bat- 
talion and  the  other  under  Lieutenant  Bell  from  the  326th 
Infantry  Machine  Gun  Company.  The  enemy  artillery 
fire  became  exceedingly  heavy  just  prior  to  the  with- 
drawal and  during  the  reorganization  south  of  the  river. 
The  artillery  continued  to  pound  our  line  on  the  heights 
throughout  the  day. 

The  Division  dossier  shows  the  following  messages  re- 


116  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

ceived  at  Division  Headquarters  regarding  this  attempted 
river  crossing  by  the  326th  Infantry: 

From  Adjutant,  163rd  Inf.  Brig,  at  7 :20  hours,  11  Oct. 
1918.  Heport  from  Able  1  (C.  0.  326th  Inf.)  :  ''Major 
Jones  reports  three  companies  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
river.  Heavy  casualties.  Meeting  severe  machine-gun  fire. 
Request  immediate  barrage  on  St.  Juvin  and  for  100  yds. 
on  each  side  of  town.  Jones  has  crossed  the  river.  Wat- 
kins  is  within  a  kilometer  of  the  river  and  Barrett  about 
1%  km.  from  the  river.  Our  line  is  out  and  we  have  to 
depend  on  messages.'' 

***** 

From  Gen.  Cronin,  7:35  hours,  11  Oct.  1918.  *'Many 
Germans  in  St.  Juvin.  Jones'  Battalion  very  heavy  casual- 
ties from  machine  gun  fire  and  guns  on  the  north  and 
northeast  of  St.  Juvin.  Request  that  the  artillery  shell 
St.  Juvin  heavily  and  hill  to  the  northeast.  Liaison  with 
artillery  very  poor. ' ' 

***** 

From  Operations  Officer,  157th  F.  A.  Brig.,  9 :15  hours, 
11  Oct.  1918.  ''One  battery  of  320th  F.  A.  has  been  firing 
on  hill  northeast  of  St.  Juvin  since  7  a.m.  and  one  bat- 
talion of  the  320th  F.  A.  has  been  firing  since  8 :40  hours 
and  the  latest  reports  are  that  the  entire  regiment  has 
been  firing  on  that  same  target  since  9  hours." 
***** 

From  C.  0.,  163rd  Inf.  Brig.,  9:40  hours,  11  Oct.,  1918. 
"Cease  firing  on  St.  Juvin.  Fire  on  Cote  182  northeast 
of  St.  Juvin.  Artillery  fire  reported  falling  short.  Need 
fire  on  182  and  counter  battery  behind  182.  Note:  Gen. 
Duncan  called  artillery  and  directed  them  to  comply." 
***** 

By  radio  from  326th  Inf.  Hdqrs.,  9:53  hours,  Oct.  11 
to  Surgeon,  82nd  Div.  "Number  wounded.  Send  trucks 
and  ambulances  to  Pylone.     (sgd)  Kuhland." 

***** 

From  C.  O.,  163rd  Inf.  Brig.,  11:06  hours,  11th  Oct. 
1918.  "Our  artillery  activity  has  improved  in  the  last 
20  minutes.     Boche  artillery  seems  to  be  growing  less. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  117 

Phosgene  gas  evident  in  our  area.  I  have  directed  C.  0., 
326th  Inf.,  that  he  must  push  forward,  if  necessary,  around 
the  gas.'' 

***** 

From  Farrady  1  (C.  0.,  78th  Div.)  to  Albany  1  (C.  0., 
82nd  Div.),  12:30  hours,  11th  Oct.  1918.     *'One  Brigade 
is  marching  towards  Comay.    Another  Brigade  is  moving 
north  6  or  7  miles  south  of  the  leading  brigade." 
*  *  *  «  « 

From  Major  Wainwright,  A.  C.  of  S.,  G-3,  82nd  Div., 
13  hours  12  minutes  at  P.  C.  of  163rd  Inf.  Brig.:  **Gen. 
Cronin  has  been  unable  to  put  anybody  across  the  river 
and  he  is  sending  troops  to  the  right  flank  to  cross  and 
filter  around  the  east.*'  Col.  Johnston  told  Major  Wain- 
wright to  tell  General  Cronin  to  use  the  artillery  liaison 
officer  for  direct  work  with  the  artillery  and  only  report 
important  things  for  our  information.  Col.  Johnston  asked 
if  the  front  line  of  163rd  Brig,  is  exposed  to  very  heavy 
fire.  Major  "Wainwright  replied  that  it  was.  Col.  Johnston 
directed  the  Major  to  tell  Gen.  Cronin  that  if  considered 
advisable,  the  General  can  withdraw  his  line  back  to  the 
foothill  facing  the  river,  maintaining  liaison  with  the  right 
of  the  Division  on  his  left.  * '  Tell  Gen.  Cronin  that  his  line 
facing  St.  Juvin  need  not  be  so  heavily  held,  but  can  be 
extended  by  the  right  flank." 

***** 

From  Col.  Johnston  to  Adjutant,  163rd  Inf.  Brig., 
14:35  hours.  "There  is  a  little  change  over  on  the  right. 
The  right  brigade  is  going  to  make  a  push  and  dig  in  along 
the  crest  of  ridge  on  85.5  parallel.  You  push  around  your 
right  flank.  Tell  General  Cronin  would  like  him  to  put 
one  battalion  Division  reserve  in  the  vicinity  of  F16ville. 
You  should  connect  with  the  left  of  the  164:th  Inf.  Brig, 
before  dark." 

***** 

From  C.  0.,  157th  F.  A.  Brig.,  15:15  hours,  11  Oct. 
1918.  '*  During  the  last  hour  and  a  half  had  several  re- 
quests from  the  infantry  to  eounter-battery  hostile  artillery 
in  the  Bois  de  Loges  about  4  km.  north  of  Marcq.  About 
half  hour  ago  I  got  the  Army  Artillery  in  communication 
and  they  are  now  shelling  these  woods  with  No.  9  special 


118  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

gas  lachrymose.  It  is  believed  that  this  will  have  the 
effect  of  stopping  these  hostile  artillery  batteries  from 
annoying  our  infantry.     (Sgd.)  Rhodes." 

Evidence  that  the  Divisions  on  our  right  and  left  were 
also  meeting  with  desperate  resistance  is  found  in  tele- 
phonic messages  from  our  liaison  officer  at  1st  Corps : 

*'77th  Division  reports  strong  resistance  on  its  front. 

Line  just  south  of  River  Aire.    Patrol  crossing  river  met 

very  heavy  machine  gun  and  artillery  fire.'* 

^  «  #  «  « 

**5th  Corps  meeting  machine-gun  resistance  along  pres- 
ent line.'' 

***** 

**38th  French  Corps  unable  to  pass  Aire  or  Aisne  owing 
to  machine-gun  fire." 

***** 

Message  from  Col.  Johnston  to  Col.  McArthur,  326th 
Inf.,  20:30  hours,  11  Oct.  1918:  *' Division  Commander 
does  not  intend  to  make  direct  attack  on  St.  Juvin.  Por- 
tion of  the  sector  in  front  of  St.  Juvin  to  be  lightly  held 
by  one  battalion  and  one  machine  gun  company  and  a 
couple  of  37  mm.  guns.  Orders  given  Gen.  Cronin  still 
stand,  namely:  move  by  the  east  and  north  and  establish 
contact  with  the  left  flank  of  164th  Inf.  Brig.  No  serious 
operations  contemplated  for  to-morrow.  Please  transmit 
to  Gen.  Cronin  as  we  are  unable  to  reach  him  by  'phone 
at  present.  Col.  Mc Arthur  stated  that  it  is  difficult  to 
move  troops  on  account  of  shell  fire.  Gen.  Cronin  had 
instructed  him  to  use  his  own  judgment  as  to  the  time  and 
route  in  moving  his  men  towards  the  eastern  half  of  the 
sector.  Col.  Johnston  answered  that  the  intention  was  to 
move  by  the  east  and  north  around  St.  Juvin  avoiding 
direct  contact  at  that  point.  Col.  Johnston  informed  Col. 
McArthur  that  after  careful  checking  right  and  left  all 
the  way  to  the  rear,  it  was  certain  that  none  of  our  artil- 
lery has  been  firing  upon  our  troops." 

The  1st  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  had  been  withdrawn 
from  the  outpost  line  La  Besogne  to  Marcq  at  about  2 :30 


One  group  oi"  graves  uour   iSoiiinierance 


Horse  lines  in  Aire  Valley  during  the  fight 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  119 

hours,  October  11  and  placed  in  reserve  near  Pylone. 
The  3rd  Battalion  remained  throughout  the  night  of 
October  10-11  in  a  support  position  south  of  Marcq.  When 
the  order  came  to  swing  some  troops  to  the  east  across 
the  Aire  and  hook  up  with  the  left  flank  of  the  164th 
Infantry  Brigade,  General  Cronin  designated  the  3rd  Bat- 
talion, 326th  Infantry,  for  this  duty.  The  battalion  began 
this  move  at  about  17  hours,  October  11,  and  forded  the 
river  at  the  island  northeast  of  Martin^ourt  Farm.  The 
battalion  was  subjected  to  severe  artillery  fire,  which  in- 
flicted a  number  of  casualties. 

It  was  after  dark  when  Major  Watkins  reported  to 
Colonel  Whitman.  Company  M,  326th  Infantry,  took  over 
a  position  on  the  left  flank  of  the  325th  Infantry,  and 
Companies  I,  K  and  L  were  placed  in  position  facing  St. 
Juvin  along  the  little  stream  which  runs  from  the  St. 
Juvin-Sommerance  Road  to  the  Aire  River. 


CHAPTER  XII 

CLINGING  TO  THE  SOMMERANCE  RIDGE 

The  night  of  October  11-12  was  a  long  night.  The  enemy 
artillery  was  periodically  active,  and  a  cold,  misty  dawn 
found  our  men  in  fox  holes  along  Ridge  85.5.  No  ad- 
vance was  ordered  by  the  Corps,  nor  did  the  enemy  make 
any  infantry  demonstrations  against  us  during  that  day. 
Advantage  of  this  pause  was  taken  to  organize  the  ground 
in  depth.  In  the  325th  Infantry,  the  1st  Battalion  was 
on  Ridge  85.5;  the  3rd  Battalion  in  support  on  the  Som- 
merance  Road,  and  the  2nd  Battalion  in  Brigade  reserve. 
Company  K,  325th  Infantry  (Captain  Melton),  was  re- 
lieved from  its  liaison  duty  with  the  1st  Division  and  re- 
joined the  3rd  Battalion.  The  1st  Battalion  (Lieutenant 
Simpson)  of  the  327th  Infantry  occupied  Ridge  85.5  on  the 
right  of  the  325th  Infantry,  and  was  supported  in  echelon 
by  the  2nd  Battalion  (Major  Blanchard)  and  3rd  Bat- 
talion (Lieutenant  Prentiss)  respectively.  Our  front  lines 
on  the  ridge  were  continually  combed  by  enemy  machine- 
gun  fire  and  the  reverse  slope  was  spattered  with  shell 
fire.  Our  men  in  the  outpost  line  could  not  raise  their 
heads  from  the  fox  holes  without  drawing  fire.  Our  artil- 
lery continued  to  play  on  St.  Juvin  and  Hill  182.  Five 
fires  were  noted  burning  in  different  corners  of  St.  Juvin^ 
Report  from  the  Division  Observation  Post  at  11 :15  hours, 
October  12,  stated: 

120 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  121 

**Martincourt  Farm  is  burning,  causing  many  explo- 
sions. German  artillery  harassing  roads  just  north  of 
Fleville  with  high  explosives.  Some  shrapnel  falling  just 
north  of  Cornay.    St.  Juvin  still  on  fire. ' ' 

On  the  night  of  October  11-12,  the  sector  on  our  right 
was  taken  over  by  the  42nd  Division,  which  relieved  the 
1st  Division.  The  dossier  of  the  82nd  Division  contains 
the  following  message  from  General  Lindsey  dated  13 
hours,  October  12: 

From  Anson  1.  **Have  sent  staff  officer  to  get  42nd 
Division  to  occupy  Sommerance,  to  whom  it  belongs." 

Telephone  message  from  General  Lindsey  *s  P.  C.  at 
13:45  hours  reported  that  Hill  247,  southeasterly  from 
Sommerance,  was  occupied  by  the  42nd  Division.  The 
message  adds  that  among  other  materiel  captured  on  the 
previous  day  were  thirty  machine  guns,  two  anti-tank  guns 
and  much  ammunition.  At  16  hours  20  minutes.  Colonel 
Whitman  received  word  that  the  42nd  Division  had  ad- 
vanced its  left  elements  to  a  point  just  southeast  of  Som- 
merance. This  released  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  325th 
Infantry,  which  moved  back  in  Brigade  reserve  on  the 
Sommerance-Fleville  Road. 

At  14  hours,  October  12,  the  1st  Battalion,  326th  In- 
fantry, relieved  the  2nd  Battalion  (Jf  that  regiment  north 
of  Marcq,  where  the  2nd  Battalion  had  been  holding  its 
ground  since  its  repulse  at  the  road  bridge  early  in  the 
morning  of  October  11.  The  2nd  Battalion,  when  relieved, 
moved  back  to  a  position  in  support  on  the  heights  just 
south  of  Marcq. 

328th  Infantry  Recrosses  Aire  River 

The  history  of  these  operations  left  the  328th  Infantry 
on  the  10th  of  October  in  Division  reserve  and  engaged 


122  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

in  caring  for  wounded,  burying  the  dead,  and  reorgan- 
izing the  units  that  had  suffered  most  heavily.  The  men 
were  badly  in  need  of  food  and  sleep  and  both  were  secured 
during  the  day.  Late  in  the  evening  of  October  10,  orders 
were  received  directing  the  regiment  to  assemble  at  the 
cross-roads  near  Pylone.  Daylight,  October  11,  found  the 
regiment  assembled  at  that  point.  Here  the  men  dug  in 
and  remained  under  cover  during  the  day. 

At  15  hours,  October  11,  orders  were  received  directing 
the  2nd  Battalion,  328th  Infantry,  to  report  to  General 
Lindsey  at  Fleville.  On  arrival  at  Fleville,  the  battalion 
was  placed  in  Divisional  reserve  and  bivouacked  on  the 
ridge  just  north  of  Fleville.  The  battalion  remained  in 
this  position  throughout  October  12  and  13.  After  dark 
on  October  11,  the  1st  Battalion,  328th  Infantry,  was 
moved  forward  from  Pylone  to  a  position  in  the  Bois  de 
Marcq,  south  of  the  village  of  Marcq,  and  in  support  of 
the  326th  Infantry.  On  the  morning  of  October  12,  the 
328th  Infantry  was  directed  to  report  to  General  Lindsey 
at  Fleville. 

Pursuant  to  this  order,  the  3rd  Battalion  moved  at  once 
from  Pylone  to  Fleville,  where  it  bivouacked  in  the 
woods  just  east  of  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  same  regi- 
ment. The  1st  Battalion  was  withdrawn  from  the  woods 
south  of  Marcq  about  noon  of  October  12  and  took  up  a 
position  in  the  woods  some  1500  meters  east  of  Fleville 
along  the  east  and  west  road,  where  it  occupied  fox  holes 
recently  abandoned  by  the  enemy.  Eegimental  P.  C.  was 
established  at  Fleville  and  the  men  remained  hidden  from 
the  observation  of  enemy  airplanes.  These  positions  were 
subjected  to  shell  fire  with  little  intermission.  Enemy  air- 
planes were  particularly  active  during  this  period  and  for 
many  days  thereafter.  This  constant  observation  of  our 
positions  which  our  own  air  service  could  not  prevent  re- 
isulted  in  enemy  artillery  fire  of  deadly  accuracy. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  123 

In  anticipation  of  orders  fOr  attack  on  October  13,  the 
Regimental  Commander,  325th  Infantry,  sent  the  follow- 
ing message,  which  reached  the  Division  dossier  at  17:55 
hours,  October  12: 

*  *  The  regimental  commander  requests  that  vigorous  artil- 
lery action  including  heavy  guns  be  laid  on  these  machine- 
gun  nests  and  St.  Juvin  before  advance  starts  as  he  be- 
lieves that  it  is  inevitable  that  the  movement  will  be  checked 
if  these  machine-gun  nests  are  not  destroyed.  Colonel 
Whitman  requests  that  in  case  of  advance  a  rolling  bar- 
rage be  furnished." 

No  attack  was  ordered,  however,  for  October  13  and  our 
troops  continued  to  dig  themselves  in  more  deeply  along 
the  85.5  ridge.  The  dossier  contains  a  number  of  messages 
which  indicate  the  situation  during  October  13. 

From  General  Rhodes  to  Chief  of  Staff,  82nd  Division, 
Oct.  13,  1918,  9:20  hours.  *' Liaison  officer  with  the  left 
regiment,  forward  battalion,  reports  that  they  are  very 
much  worried  by  snipers  and  machine  guns  in  St.  Juvin 
and  suggests  that  500  heavy  shells  might  relieve  the  situa- 
tion. Do  not  like  to  take  it  up  without  request  from 
General  Cronin.  Suggest  that  we  get  in  touch  with  Gen- 
eral Cronin  and  see  if  he  desires  it.  Col.  Johnston,  Chief 
of  Staff,  called  General  Cronin  and  repeated  the  above  and 
asked  if  he  desired  any  artillery  fire  on  St.  Juvin  to 
reduce  machine-gun  nests  and  stop  sniping.  General 
Cronin  said  he  thought  this  fire  would  be  useful.  Col. 
Johnston  directed  him  to  take  it  up  with  his  artillery 
direct  and  indicate  as  correctly  as  possible  where  the  fire 
would  be  most  useful." 

*  *  *  *  # 

Message  from  Bonehead  7  (G-3,  1st  Corps)  to  82nd 
Division,  10  hours,  13th  October.  ''Orders  to  the  78th 
Division  have  been  rescinded  yesterday,  and  instead  of 
moving  to  our  right,  they  will  move  west." 

***** 

From  164th  Inf.  Brig,  at  11:10  hours,  Oct.  13.     *'Fle- 


124  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

ville  and  road  to  the  north  is  being  shelled  "with  high  ex- 
plosives and  considerable  gas.  A  few  casualties  have  been 
caused. '  * 

***** 

Bonehead  3  (Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps),  to  Albany  3 
(Chief  of  Staff,  82nd  Div.),  13:50  hours,  13  October. 
*' Instruct  artillery  commander  that  he  must  use  a  greater 
proportion  of  shrapnel  as  the  supply  of  high  explosives 
is  becoming  limited.  Arrange  for  the  salvaging  of 
machine-gun  strips  at  once.  Supply  is  rapidly  becoming 
exhausted  and  the  matter  is  critical.  Take  care  of  burying 
the  dead.  Bonehead  3  was  asked  if  the  Pioneer  Companies 
promised  could  be  given  to  the  Division.  Bonehead  3  said 
he  would  take  it  up  with  G-1. '  * 

«  *  *  .     *  # 

Albany  3  to  Bonehead  3,  14  hours,  13  October.  **A11 
American  dead  will  be  buried  to-day.  All  German  dead 
will  be  buried  to-morrow.  Artillery  is  using  prescribed 
amount  of  shrapnel.  One  company  of  pioneers  has  re- 
ported. Our  G-1  has  endeavored  by  all  means  to  obtain 
the  other  three  companies  promised  us,  but  these  have 
never  reported  here.  "We  are  using  our  machine-gun  troops 
to  salvage  the  strips  and  we  have  150,000  rounds  ready 
for  use." 

***** 

Telephone  message  from  G-2,  1st  Army  Corps,  14:45 
hours,  Oct.  13,  1918.  **  Corps  observer  reports  heavy  cir> 
culation  (German)  east  and  west  of  road  between  Verpel 
andBeffu." 

This  brief  pause  in  the  attack  gave  an  opportunity  for 
a  careful  check  of  battle  effectives.  The  very  serious 
losses  which  had  befallen  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade  are 
shown  by  the  following  message  sent  during  the  morning 
by  General  Lindsey  to  Division  Headquarters: 

*'The  unconfirmed  effective  strength  of  the  327th  Inf.  is 
at  present  12  officers  and  332  men.  This  condition  requires 
consideration. '  * 

The  following  message  was  sent  by  Lieutenant  Colonel 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  125 

Burr,  commanding  the  327th  Infantry,  at  12:35  hours, 
October  13 : 

'*In  regard  to  list  of  effectives  submitted  by  me,  all  of 
the  medical  officers  of  the  regiment  inform  me  that  of  this 
number  80  per  cent  are  now  totally  unfit  for  duty  and  the 
other  20  per  cent  under  different  circumstances  would  be 
placed  on  sick  report.  Cause  for  this  disability  is  sickness, 
effects  of  gas  and  exhaustion.  The  80  per  cent  indicated  as 
totally  unfit  for  duty,  they  informed  me,  would  be  unable 
to  complete  any  strenuous  maneuver.  This  is  no  complaint, 
but  simply  a  statement  of  facts  submitted  for  your  in- 
formation, and  if  the  circumstances  demand  the  effort, 
these  men  will  go  over  the  top  and  go  to  the  limit  of  their 
endurance.  The  same  conditions  apply  to  the  officers, 
(sgd)  Burr.'' 

The  Division  Post  of  Command  had  been  moved  on 
October  9,  1919,  from  the  cellar  in  Varennes  to  la  Forge 
Farm,  just  south  of  Montblainville  and  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Aire.  On  the  12th  of  October,  General  Duncan 
moved  his  headquarters  forward  to  the  chateau  at  Chehery, 
fifteen  hundred  meters  south  of  FleviUe.  The  head- 
quarters of  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  moved  into 
a  wing  of  the  same  chateau.  General  Lindsey's  P.  C.  at 
this  time  was  established  in  Fleville,  while  General  Cronin 
moved  from  Pylone  to  Cornay  on  October  12  with  an 
advance  P.  C.  at  Martincourt  Farm. 

On  October  13,  by  Division  order,  the  325th  Infantry 
reverted  to  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  and  the  328th 
Infantry  passed  back  into  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade. 

Enemy  planes  were  exceedingly  active  throughout  Octo- 
ber 13  and  moderate  enemy  artillery  fire  continued  upon 
our  lines. 

Enemy  Counter- Attack  Eepulsed 

At  16  hours,  the  enemy  laid  down  a  rolling  artillery 
barrage  and  followed  it  with  an  infantry  assault.     The 


126  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

main  force  of  this  blow  fell  upon  the  right  of  the  325th 
Infantry  and  left  of  the  327th  Infantry.  The  barrage 
rolled  over  our  front  line  and  covered  our  men  with  mud, 
but  caused  few  casualties.  Our  artillery,  in  response  to 
calls  from  the  infantry,  laid  down  an  effective  counter- 
barrage  which  fell  with  great  promptness  and  accuracy. 
This  timely  assistance,  coupled  with  the  rapid  fire  of  our 
infantry  and  machine  gunners,  smashed  the  attack  before 
it  got  at  hand's  grips  with  our  line.  The  Germans  could 
be  seen  running  back,  and  some  were  observed  to  throw 
.away  their  rifles.  The  enemy  suffered  many  losses  in  this 
repulse. 

The  progress  of  the  counter-attack  is  shown  by  mes- 
sages in  the  Division  dossier: 

Message  from  Austin  (Hq.,  163rd  Inf.  Brig.),  16:05 
hours,  13  Oct.,  1918.  **  German  barrage  falling  south  of 
St.  Juvin  on  326th  Inf.  position.  Enemy  making  counter- 
attack. General  Duncan  immediately  'phoned  General 
Rhodes  above  message,  ordering  him  to  put  all  his  guns 
on  position  along  parallel  86.5  between  98  and  104.  320th 
P.  A.  'phoned  that  they  had  been  requested  to  fire  on  St. 
Juvin  and  inquired  if  they  were  authorized  to  do  so,  it 
being  out  of  their  sector.    General  Duncan  replied  ^Yes.'  " 

Telephone  message  from  Division  0.  P.,  16 :10  hours,  13 
Oct.,  1918.  *'At  16  hours  the  Germans  started  a  barrage 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  They  are  now  advancing 
in  a  local  counter-attack.  I  can  see  several  hundred  men 
in  open  formation  advancing  over  ridge  between  297.4- 
285.4  and  298.0-285.5.  They  seem  to  be  on  the  ridge  ad- 
vancing south  in  open  formation.  It  looks  as  if  they  were 
coming  over  the  ridge  down  to  the  river  valley. ' ' 
#  #  #  «  # 

From  Lt.  Jones,  164th  Inf.  Brig.  Hdqrs,  16:30  hours, 
13  October,  1918.     ''Boche  barrage  has  cut  off  our  front 
line  and  Boche  coming  over.    Eequest  planes  at  once." 
***** 

Major  Wainwright,   G-3,   82nd   Div.,   by   telephone  to 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  127 

G-3,  1st  Corps.     **  Request  aeroplanes  at  once.     Urgent. 
Rush.    Combat  planes." 

*  *  *  *  * 

From  163rd  Inf.  Brig.,  16:35  hours,  13  Oct.,  1918.  '*lst 
Bn.,  326th  Inf.,  reports  that  the  enemy  has  laid  a  bar- 
rage down  on  his  side  of  the  river.  No  damage  done  thus 
far.  Our  own  artillery  is  coming  back  well.  No  signs  yet 
of  enemy  infantry  activity." 

***** 

Message  from  164th  Inf.  Brig.,  16:40  hours,  Oct.  13, 
1918.  ''Colonel  "Whitman  reports  that  German  planes  are 
flying  low  over  his  front  lines  and  firing  machine  guns 
into  his  lines.  He  requests  aeroplanes  from  Corps  to  drive 
them  off.  "When  asked  about  the  progress  of  the  Germans 
in  the  counter-attack,  Lt.  Jones  stated  that  Col.  Whitman 
said  the  Boche  barrage  cut  off  his  front  line,  the  barrage 
falling  between  the  1st  and  2nd  lines.  He  did  not  know 
what  was  happening  further  than  that.  Lt.  Jones  said 
it  took  our  artillery  about  two  minutes  to  get  to  work." 
***** 

Message  to  General  Lindsey  from  Col.  Johnston,  16:45 
hours,  13  Oct.,  1918.  "Have  you  anything  in  the  block 
of  woods  about  500  meters  west  of  Sommerance?"  (Reply) 
''I  have  a  reserve  and  10  machine  guns.  I  have  notified 
people  on  my  left  of  the  counter-attack.  Things  are  going 
all  right."  (Col.  Johnston.)  ''If  you  have  troops  and 
machine  guns  in  this  bunch  of  woods,  your  men  on  the 
slope  of  the  hill  should  be  well  taken  care  of. ' ' 

***** 

Report  from  Division  0.  P.  at  16:55  hours,  Oct.  13, 
1918.  "Boche  artillery  has  weakened.  Boche  infantry 
advancing  at  about  97.4  to  97.6  and  86.4.  Our  artillery 
still  firing.  The  Boche  seem  to  be  on  this  side  of  the  hill 
coming  between  the  St.  Georges  and  St.  Juvin  Road.  Our 
men  seem  to  be  behind  little  patches  of  woods  along 
86.97." 

***** 

Col.  Johnston  to  Gen.  Lindsey,  17  hours,  Oct.  13,  1918. 
"The  Division  Commander  directs  you  to  take  charge  of 
the  operations  on  Ridge  85.5  in  front  of  your  sector.  The 
Brigade  on  your  left  is  being  directed  to  comply  with  your 


128  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

request  for  troops  and  is  informed  that  you  will  command 
in  this  operation." 

*  #  #  #  # 

Colonel  Johnston  to  General  Cronin:  *'The  Division 
Commander  has  directed  General  Lindsey  to  take  command 
of  troops  in  this  present  attack  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  on  Ridge  85.5,  and  you  will  comply  with  his  request 
for  troops.  This  refers  only  to  present  attack.  General 
Cronin  replied  that  there  was  no  counter-attack  on  his 
left." 

*  «  *  *  * 

From  42nd  Div.,  17:05  hours,  13  Oct.,  1918.  ^'Infantrj^ 
did  not  come  up  in  our  front  following  the  bombardment 
now  going  on.    Hostile  aeroplanes  dropping  propaganda." 

*  *  *  *  * 

From  Hq.,  157th  F.  A.  Brig.,  17:15  hours,  13  October, 
1918.  '*3rd  Bn.  Forward  Observer,  319th  F.  A.,  reports 
that  the  Germans  are  retreating  across  the  zone  on  which 
the  319th  F.  A.  is  firing.  The  319th  F.  A.  now  lifting 
their  fire  500  meters.  The  German  barrage,  which  was 
very  severe  at  first,  is  decreasing  considerably.  Col. 
Johnston  said  that  he  thought  it  would  be  good  to  shoot 
shrapnel  on  the  road  from  St.  Juvin  to  St.  Georges.  He 
thought  that  as  the  enemy  began  to  fall  back  on  that  road 
short  bursts  of  shrapnel  would  come  in  handy.  Col.  John- 
ston asked  how  quickly  the  artillery  got  information  of 
the  counter-attack  and  was  informed  that  when  Artillery 
Headquarters  called  the  Artillery  Regiment,  it  was  found 
that  our  barrage  had  already  been  put  down  200  meters  in 
front  of  the  infantry.  Col.  Johnston  was  informed  that 
this  operation  was  seriously  interfering  with  the  intended 
cutting  of  enemy  wire  by  artillery  and  was  asked  if  there 
would  be  time  in  the  morning  for  observing  fire.  Col. 
Johnston  replied  that  he  thought  there  would  be  time." 

*  *  *  *  * 

Message  from  164th  Inf.  Brig.,  17:20  hours,  Oct.  13, 
1918.  ''Boche  barrage  stopping  and  Boche  have  been 
driven  back  in  front  of  the  327th  Inf.  Positions  held  by 
326th  and  325th  Inf.  and  everything  is  as  it  was.  Our 
artillery  barrage  most  effective." 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  129 

Report  from  Division  0.  P.  17 :25  honrs,  13  Oct.,  1918. 
*'At  17  hours  the  Boche  started  new  barrage  on  Som- 
merance-St.  Juvin  Road  which  at  this  time  has  practically 
stopped.  Was  able  to  follow  German  advance  to  top  of 
ridge  along  parallel  85.5.  Enemy  then  lost  to  sight  in  the 
smoke  this  side  of  the  ridge.  Too  dark  to  see  now.  Only 
harassing  fire  by  artillery." 

#  #  #  *  « 

From  General  Rhodes  to  General  Duncan,  17 :30  hours, 
13  Oct.,  1918.  ''320th  F.  A.  observers  report  Boche  re- 
tiring. The  counter-preparation  has  been  stopped  and  we 
are  now  pursuing  them  with  shrapnel.  On  the  left  the 
Boche  collected  in  St.  Juvin,  but  did  not  attack  from 
St.  Juvin." 


Preparing  for  Attack  op  October  14,  1918 

Meanwhile  plans  were  going  forward  throughout  October 
13  for  a  coordinated  attack  along  the  entire  front  of  thd 
1st  Army.  Within  the  82nd  Division  a  number  of  troop 
movements  were  ordered,  including  relief  of  the  327th 
Infantry  by  the  328th  Infantry.  Colonel  Wetherill's  regi- 
ment had  remained  in  bivouac,  concealed  along  the  wooded 
ridge  just  north  of  Fleville.  On  the  afternoon  of  October 
13  the  Regimental  Commander,  Battalion  Commanders  and 
Company  Commanders  of  the  1st  Battalion  made  recon- 
naissance of  the  terrain  north  to  Sommerance  during  the 
heavy  shell  fire  of  the  German  counter-attack.  Shortly 
after  dark  the  battalions  drew  their  iron  rations  and  am- 
munition and  marched  by  battalions  northward.  The  roads 
were  heavily  shelled  and  a  number  of  casualties  were  suf- 
fered during  this  advance.  Regimental  P.  C.  moved  from 
Fleville  to  a  position  near  the  crossroads  about  250  meters 
south  of  Sommerance.  A  little  after  midnight  of  October 
13-14  the  1st  Battalion  reached  Sommerance  and  relieved 
the  forward  Battalion  of  the  327th  Infantry  on  the  85.5 
ridge. 


130  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

During  the  night  of  October  13  the  2nd  Battalion  of 
the  326th  Infantry  moved  from  the  support  position  south 
of  Marq  through  Cornay  to  Fleville  and  thence  along  the 
Fleville-St.  Juvin  Road  to  a  ravine  about  500  meters  south 
of  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road.  Here  the  Battalion 
was  in  support  of  the  3rd  Battalion  of  the  326th  Infantry. 
Regimental  P.  C.  of  the  326th  Infantry  was  established 
in  the  gravel  quarry  several  hundred  meters  north  of 
Fleville.  "While  making  a  reconnaissance  east  of  Marq, 
Lt.  Thomas  C.  Carter  of  Company  B,  320th  Machine  Gun 
Battalion,  was  instantly  killed.  The  dossier  reveals  an 
interesting  discussion  of  the  speed  at  which  the  Infantry 
should  advance  behind  the  artillery  barrage. 

Telephone  message  from  G-3,  77th  Division  at  17:55 
hours,  13  October,  1918,  to  82nd  Division: 

"Stated  he  would  like  to  arrange  for  the  artillery  bar- 
rage. Calls  attention  to  the  change  in  the  Corps  order 
and  to  the  rate  of  the  barrage  in  the  adjoining  Corps 
(5th  Corps),  and  the  instructions  from  1st  Corps  that 
Divisions  will  arrange  independently  the  pace  of  the  bar- 
rage. He  thought  it  advisable  for  all  Divisions  to  take  the 
rate  adopted  by  the  5th  Corps.'*  (100  meters  in  6  min- 
utes. ) 

Colonel  Johnston  reminded  G-3  of  the  77th  Division 
that: 

"Divisions  on  the  right  are  fighting  in  woods  where 
progress  will  necessarily  be  slow.  Furthermore,  the  area 
in  front  of  the  82nd  Division  is  open  and  there  are  danger- 
ous places  which  we  would  like  to  get  over  quickly. ' ' 

Colonel  Johnston  suggested  that: 

"It  would  be  desirable  to  arrange  a  definite  zone  for  the 
artillery  so  that  there  would  be  no  danger  of  overlapping. ' ' 

At  20:20  hours,  October  13,  General  Lindsey  was  asked 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  131 

by  Colonel  Johnston  at  what  pace  lie  believed  the  advance 
should  be  made.  The  General  replied: 

"Considering  the  nature  of  the  country  in  front  ot  me, 
100  meters  in  3  minutes,"  and  added  that  he  did  not 
care  to  linger  while  he  was  going. 

At  21:30  hours,  October  13,  a  message  arrived  stating 
that: 

"Orders  from  the  Army  are  that  the  rate  of  advance 
in  pending  operations  will  be  100  meters  in  six  minutes.*' 

Orders  for  Attack  of  October  14,  1918 

The  82nd  Division  Field  Order  No.  24  was  issued  at 
22  hours,  October  13.  Under  Par.  1  (Information  of  the 
Enemy  and  Intention  of  the  High  Command)^  it  was 
stated : 

"  (a)  The  enemy  has  been  driven  north  of  the  line  Som- 
merance-Aire  River. 

"  (5)  The  1st  Army  resumes  its  attack  on  'D'  day  at  *H' 
hour.  (Secret  instructions  provided  that  the  attack  would 
be  made  at  8:30  hours,  Oct.  14.)  The  5th  Corps  on  our 
immediate  right  breaches  the  hostile  lines.  The  1st  Corps 
supports  the  left  flank  of  the  attack  and  pivoting  on  its 
left  maintains  its  advance  on  successive  objectives.  The 
77th  Division  is  charged  with  taking  St.  Juvin,  attacking 
from  the  south  and  east.'*  The  boundaries  of  the  82nd 
Division  specified  were:  east — Sommerance,  exclusive, 
Imecourt,  inclusive,  Sivry-lez-Buzancy,  exclusive.  West 
— Marcq,  inclusive,  St.  Juvin,  exclusive,  Verpel,  exclusive, 
Harricourt,  inclusive. 

The  order  provided  that  the  battalion  of  the  326th 
Infantry  in  the  front  line  south  of  St.  Juvin  cross  the 
river  when  relieved  by  the  77th  Division.  It  was  ar- 
ranged between  the  brigade  commanders  of  the  adjoin- 
ing brigades  of  the  77th  and  82nd  Divisions  that  the  relief 


132  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

of  the  1st  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  in  Marcq  should  be 
complete  before  H  hour.  The  82nd  Division  Field  Order 
prescribed  that,  within  the  Division,  the  attack  should  be 
made  by  the  328th  Infantry  on  the  right,  325th  Infantry 
in  the  center  and  the  326th  Infantry  on  the  left.  The 
327th  Infantry  was  placed  in  reserve  in  rear  of  the  328th 
Infantry.  All  regiments  except  the  327th  Infantry  and 
the  328th  Infantry  were  to  be  formed  in  column  of  bat- 
talions with  approximately  500  meters'  distance  between 
battalions.  The  two  regiments  excepted  were  so  depleted 
that  each  regiment  consisted  of  less  than  one  battalion  in 
battle  effectives.  The  rate  of  advance  for  the  infantry 
was  set  for  100  meters  in  six  minutes.  The  artillery  was 
ordered  to  cut  enemy  wire  at  a  number  of  specified  points. 
In  addition  to  this  mission,  the  artillery  was  required  to 
use  non-persistent  gas  before  H  minus  4  hours  on  ravines 
and  woods.  All  roads  of  approach  and  important  cross- 
roads were  to  be  strongly  shelled.  The  artillery  prepa- 
ration for  attack  was  to  start  at  H  minus  2  hours.  The 
artillery  was  further  charged  with  the  protection  of  the 
left  flank  from  St.  Juvin  and  Hill  182  by  the  use  of  high 
explosive  and  smoke  shells.  One  battery  of  the  321st 
Field  Artillery  was  to  be  at  the  disposal  of  the  C.  O.,  163rd 
Infantry  Brigade,  to  execute  special  fires,  and  one  battery 
of  the  320th  Field  Artillery  to  perform  a  like  duty  for 
the  164th  Infantry  Brigade.  At  H  hour  a  deep  barrage 
was  to  precede  the  infantry  advance  by  300  meters,  to  be 
fired  from  H  to  H  plus  60  minutes  on  the  extreme  right 
and  conform  to  the  infantry  advance.  This  barrage  was 
to  be  taken  up  again  at  H  plus  1  hour  and  30  minutes 
and  continued  until  the  infantry  had  attained  the  Corps 
objective.  Smoke  shells  were  to  be  included  in  this  bar- 
rage. One  piece  of  75  mm.  was  to  accompany  each  front 
line  battalion  and  such  guns  were  to  report  by  6  hours, 
October  14.     E  Company  of  the  1st  Gas  Regiment  was 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  133 

assigned  to  support  the  attack  of  the  164th  Brigade  with 
smoke  and  thermite.  A  plan  was  prepared  for  long  range 
machine-gun  fire  in  support  of  the  advance.  The  2nd 
Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  and  the  319th  Machine  Gun 
Battalion  were  named  for  the  Division  reserve  and  the 
latter  participated  in  the  long  range  barrages.  The  axis 
of  liaison  was  Chehery-Fleville-St.  Juvin.  The  plan  of 
Air  Service  was  stated  to  be  without  change  except  that 
Chehery  was  specified  as  the  dropping  ground  for  weighted 
messages. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
INTO  THE  KRIBMHILDE-STELLUNG 

October  14  proved  to  be  another  of  the  outstanding  days 
in  the  battle  experience  of  the  82nd  Division — a  day  in 
which  the  Division  gained  much  territory,  took  many, 
prisoners  and  paid  a  round  price  for  its  important  suc- 
cesses. The  march  of  events  will  be  examined  first  from 
the  messages  which  reached  Division  Headquarters  where 
they  were  recorded  in  the  dossier. 

At  5  hours,  October  14,  1918,  Headquarters  of  the  163rd 
Infantry  Brigade  reported  that  their  "advance  P.  C.  is 
now  in  Fleville.''  At  5:50  hours,  October  14,  Army  Artil- 
lery phoned  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  Head- 
quarters and  asked  if  they  could  be  of  any  assistance  to 
our  barrage.  Our  artillery  replied  that  *'Army  Artillery 
had  already  been  requested  to  look  after  counter-battery 
fire  and  that  the  82nd  Division  Artillery  was  looking  after 
its  own  end  of  the  work."  8:10  hours,  October  14,  the 
Adjutant  of  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  stated  that  ''the 
325th  and  326th  Infantry  report  everything  is  all  right." 
7:30  hours,  October  14,  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade  "re- 
ports that  hostile  balloons  and  aeroplanes  are  in  vicinity 
of  328th  Infantry.  Request  that  our  planes  be  sent  to 
their  relief.  Message  communicated  to  Aero  liaison 
officer." 

134 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  135 

82nd  Division  Liaison  Officer  with  77tli  Division — 8:50 
hours,  14  Oct.,  1918. 

*'No  changes  in  position  since  report  at  3  hours  this 
morning.  Our  artillery  has  been  very  active.  Considerable 
enemy  artillery  within  the  lines  of  this  Division." 

From  Capt.  Webster,  Adjt.  164th  Inf.  Brig.— 8 :50  hours, 
14  Oct.,  1918. 

*'42nd  Div.  artillery  falling  short  on  the  road  west  of 
Sommerance,  in  our  brigade  area." 

Major  Wainwright,  G-3,  to  G-3,  42ud  Div. 

**We  have  just  received  report  from  our  forward  ob- 
servers that  your  artillery  is  falling  short  west  of  Som- 
merance. " 

From  164th  Inf.  Brig.— 8:50  hours,  14  Oct.,  1918. 

"Everything  started  off  all  right  at  H  hour.  In  touch 
with  42nd  Division  on  our  right,     (sgd)   Tomassello." 

From  163rd  Inf.  Brig.— 9:05  hours,  14  Oct.,  1918. 

**Col.  Whitman  reports  enemy  planes  have  been  flying 
very  freely  over  his  lines  and  are  still  doing  so.  They 
are  not  being  interfered  with  to  any  extent  either  by  our 
planes  or  anti-aircraft  guns."  Note:  Major  Wainwright 
directed  Air  Service  liaison  officer  to  report  matter  to 
Air  Service. 

Telephone  message  from  Division  0.  P. — 9:10  hours,  14 
Oct.,  1918. 

"We  have  advanced  about  1  km.  We  are  now  on  Hill 
230.  Some  of  our  men  seen  there.  We  are  along  ridge  at 
98.0-85.5  and  everything  is  apparently  going  good.  Ger- 
man barrage  is  behind  our  men  about  at  the  jumping-off 
position.    The  Germans  are  shelling  with  gas." 

Telephone  message  from  164th  Inf.  Brig. — 9:30  hours, 
14  Oct.,  1918. 

"Prirjoners  belonging  to  45th  Reserve  Division  captured 
east  of  St.  Juvin  by  326th  Inf." 


136  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Telephone  message  from  Division  0.  P. — 9.45  hours,  14 
Oct.,  1918. 

''Our  men  along  ridge  at  98.1-85.5  and  are  rushing  for- 
ward at  double  time.  They  are  going  over  the  ridge. 
Prisoners  coming  back  and  there  seems  to  be  a  lot  of 
them." 

From  Capt.  "Webster,  164th  Inf.  Brig.— 9:50  hours,  14, 
Oct.,  1918. 

''328th  Inf.  reports  166th  Inf.  came  300  yds.  into  their 
sector  and  328th  Inf.  was  subjected  to  double  barrage  in 
front  of  advancing  infantry  of  42nd  Div.  328th  Inf.  con- 
nected up  with  166th  Inf.  and  325th  Inf.  went  forward 
as  per  schedule." 

9 :50  hours,  14  Oct.,  1918— By  radio  to  G-3,  1st  Corps, 
G-3,  77th  Div.,  G-3,  42nd  Div. 

**First  objective  obtained  at  9:10  hours,  (sgd)  G-3, 
82nd  Div."  Note:  The  1st  objective  was  an  east  and  west 
line  about  500  meters  south  of  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges 
Road. 

From  Adjutant,  163rd  Inf.  Brig.,  10 :10  hours,  14  Oct., 
1918. 

*' German  prisoner  states:  'We  expect  an  armistice  in  a 
few  days.'  " 

Col.  Johnston  to  Gen.  Lindsey,  10:15  hours,  14  Oct., 
1918. 

"The  next  plan  is  to  put  the  155 's  on  that  right  switch 
trench;  that  is  the  trench  on  your  front.  We  will  smear 
it  completely  and  look  to  you  to  follow  there  and  flank  out 
the  trenches  to  your  left.  In  other  words  turn  them  by 
your  right  flank  and  let  the  brigade  on  your  left  go  slow 
to  their  wire." 

From  Col.  Johnston,  to  C.  G.,  164th  Inf.  Brig.,  by  radio 
— 11  hours,  14  Oct. 

"Will  holding  of  Division  reserve  on  crossroads  just 
west  of  Sommerance  interfere  with  your  plans?  (sgd) 
Johnston. ' ' 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  137 

Aeroplane  message  dropped  at  11  hours. 

"At  10:40  hours,  infantry  showed  panels  at  U7  U9 — ^U9 
QO— Rl  Q3— R4  Q4.  At  10:45,  infantry  showed  panels 
at  L7  U8 — L7  QO — L8  Q2.  These  advance  troops  are  being 
heavily  shelled.  On  crest  of  hill  at  R5  U5,  many  hostile 
shells  falling.  Time  10 :45.  On  Hill  182,  no  shells  falling. 
No  panels  seen  or  movement  seen.  Some  gas  being  used 
against  our  troops.  Some  anti-aircraft  fire  received  over 
St.  Juvin.  "We  drove  one  enemy  plane  back  which  was 
over  our  lines.  Visibility  very  poor,  (sgd)  H.  T.  Fleeson, 
12th  Aero  Squadron." 

Telephone  message  from  163rd  Inf.  Brig. — 11  hours,  14 
Oct.,  1918. 

''1st  Bn.  of  325th  Inf.  captured  2nd  Lieutenant  be- 
longing to  30th  Inf.,  15th  Bavarian  Division.  Prisoner 
came  in  to  lines  last  night  preceding  his  regiment.  The 
Division  has  been  in  rest  up  north.  This  confirms  presence 
of  15th  Bavarian  Division  which  was  first  identified  by 
another  prisoner  captured  last  night." 

From  163rd  Inf.  Brig.— 11 :04  hours,  14  Oct.,  1918. 

**C.  0.,  326th  Inf.  reports  that  his  present  front  line  is 
north  and  east  of  St.  Juvin." 

From  163rd  Inf.  Brig,  at  11 :23  hours,  14th  Oct.,  1918. 

''At  11:05  hours  Wittenmeyer  (Brig.  Gen.,  commanding 
right  brigade,  77th  Div.)  seems  not  to  have  crossed  the 
Aire  River.  I  have  just  given  him  information  again  about 
fords  and  foot  bridges.  326th  Inf.  advancing  east  of  St. 
Juvin.  Support  battalion  moving  to  cover  the  left  flank. 
One  pounders  of  326th  Inf.  fighting  successfully  near  edge 
of  St.  Juvin." 

Aeroplane  message  dropped  11 :27  hours,  14  Oct.,  1918. 

*' Friendly  troops  advancing  north  of  St.  Juvin-Sommer- 
anee  Road  at  11:15  hours.  Arched  over  area  at  10:45 
hours.  Few  fires  visible,  (sgd)  Pilot  Lt.  Beaucher,  Ob- 
server Lt.  Patterson." 


138  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Memorandum  to  Capt.  Morgan  from  Capt.  Dunlap,  11 :30 
hours,  14th  Oct. 

* '  The  Chief  of  Staff  directs  that  you  move  message  center 
immediately  on  receipt  of  this  message  from  Cornay  to 
Fleville.  I  am  sending  this  message  by  the  chauffeur  of 
the  automobile  that  will  move  you.  Send  couriers  notify- 
ing brigades  that  you  are  on  the  move." 

From  Capt.  Patton,  Division  0.  P.  at  12  hours,  14 
October. 

*'It  is  certain  that  American  troops  were  on  the  Kriem- 
hilde-Stellung  line  some  time  ago.  The  support  lines  are 
passing  there  now  and  our  troops  are  occupying  it  in 
force. ' ' 

Telephone  Message  from  163rd  Brigade,  12  hours,  14 
October. 

*'One  Sergeant,  one  Corporal,  one  Private,  Company  3, 
32nd  Regiment,  15th  Bavarian  Division;  also  2  Privates, 
1st  Machine  Gun  Company,  same  Regiment  and  Division 
captured  by  1st  Battalion  325th  Infantry  on  hill  east  of 
St.  Juvin.  The  Sergeant  has  been  in  America  before  the 
war  and  left  America  to  fight  because  he  loved  Germany 
and  hated  the  Americans." 

From  General  Cronin,  163rd  Infantry  Brigade,  12  hours, 
14  October. 

*' Request  permission  for  the  use  of  the  2nd  Battalion 
of  325th  Infantry  now  in  Division  reserve.  The  1st  Bat- 
talion, 326th  Infantry,  south  of  the  river  in  front  of  St. 
Juvin  has  not  arrived  east  of  the  river.  Apparently  it 
is  held  back  by  the  fact  that  the  77th  Division  has  not 
crossed  north.  I  want  the  Division  Reserve  in  case  I  need 
it  to  protect  my  left  flank."  Note:  ^'General  Cronin  in- 
formed that  he  might  use  the  Division  Reserve  in  case  of 
absolute  necessity." 

From  163rd  Brigade. 

**Major  Watkins,  3rd  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  to  CO. 
326th  Infantry.    Advanced  to  east  edge  of  St.  Juvin.    Took 


OFFICIAL  HrSTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  139 

50  prisoners,  captured  many  machine  guns.  Had  few 
casualties.  Heavy  enemy  artillery  on  me  now.  Nothing 
from  77th  Division.     Thone  down." 

From  General  Rhodes,  Headquarters  157th  F.  A.  Bri- 
gade— 12  hours,  14  October. 

''The  Artillery  Liaison  Officer- with  the  328th  Infantry 
reports  at  12  hours  through  commanding  officer  320th  Field 
Artillery  that  an  accompanying  gun  of  that  Regiment 
under  Lieut.  Gunter  has  in  the  course  of  this  morning's 
battle  knocked  out  one  machine-gun  pill  box,  and  that  the 
gun  has  been  adopted  by  the  Infantry  which  it  accom- 
panies. It  is  being  carried  along  close  to  the  front  lines 
of  our  advancing  infantry.'' 

From  164th  Infantry  Brigade  at  12  hours,  14  October. 
*'34  prisoners  from  the  15th  Bavarian  Division  captured 
by  C  Company,  328th  Infantry." 

From  Major  Watkins,  326th  Infantry,  relayed  by  163rd 
Infantry  Brigade,  12:35  hours. 

*'I  am  at  90.5-85.9.  Support  lines  here.  Front  line 
companies  300  yards  north.  One  officer  killed  and  4  officers 
wounded.  No  contact  with  77th  Division.  One  platoon 
325th  Infantry  got  in  on  our  left;  Lieutenant  says  he  is 
in  his  right  place." 

From  General  Lindsey  to  Capt.  Webster,  at  12 :18  hours, 
14  October. 

**  Reports  from  prisoners  taken  by  328th  Infantry  in- 
dicate our  front  line  at  11:30  hours  was  within  the  wire 
near  trenches  at  86.7." 

From  General  Lindsey,  12:45  hours,  14  October. 
''Reference  yours  concerning  post  of  reserve  Battalion 
near  crossroads  west  of  Sommerance.    That  will  be  0.  K." 

General  Cronin  to  General  Duncan,  12:50  hours,  14 
October. 

'*This  Brigade  is  approaching  its  objective  in  good  form. 


140  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

General  Cronin  has  no  present  need  for  Division  Reserve. 
He  will  not  use  it  unless  pressed  and  will  give  notice  at 
once  if  he  should  use  it.'' 

Telephone  report  from  Lieut.  Doll,  Aide-de-Camp  to 
General  Lindsey,  13 :50  hours,  14  October. 

*'Have  been  to  the  nearest  hill  230  and  observed  from 
there  up  to  the  west  of  St.  Georges.  The  328th  going  good 
as  far  as  I  can  see.  Can  not  see  over  second  Hill  230, 
which  is  on  my  level.  Troops  on  the  right  (4:2nd  Division) 
are  going  a  little  slow;  on  the  left  they  are  keeping  up 
very  well." 

From  Adjutant,  163rd  Brigade  at  13 :40  hours. 

**  Division  Reserve  has  been  ordered  by  General  Cronin 
to  position  east  of  St.  Juvin  in  support." 

From  163rd  Brigade  at  13 :45  hours,  14  October. 

**Last  report  from  Major  "Watkins  states  front  line  is 
now  in  the  Ravin-aux-Pierres. " 

Colonel  Johnston  to  Adjutant;  163rd  Brigade  at  13:55 
hours,  14  October. 

**  Locate  the  Battalion  of  the  326th  Infantry  that  is  lost 
(1st  Bn.).  It  becomes  the  Division  Reserve  Battalion 
and  will  be  moved  to  the  crossroads  300  yards  west  of 
Sommerance  and  will  be  held  at  the  disposal  of  the  Division 
Commander  only." 

From  Adjutant,  163rd  Inf.  Brig.,  13:12  hours,  14 
October. 

*' General  Wittenmeyer  reports  that  77th  Division  has 
not  yet  crossed  Aire  River.  326th  Inf.  reports  that  there 
are  numbers  of  enemy  planes  flying  over  front  lines.  This 
fact  probably  accounts  for  a  good  deal  of  the  accurate 
artillery  fire  which  the  enemy  has  been  directing  on  the 
326th  Inf." 

13 :25  hours,  14  October. 

'*  Captain  Morgan  reports  that  Division  Message  center 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  141 

is  now  at  Fleville  and  will  be  ready  for  business  at  13 :30 
hours.  ^ ' 

Adjutant,  163rd  Inf.  Brig,  reports  at  14:55  hours,  14: 
Oct.,  that: 

'' Headquarters,  326th  Inf.  is  at  99.2-82.8.  Headquarters, 
325th  Inf.  at  98.7-85.1.  Headquarters,  163rd  Inf.  Brig. 
Fleville." 

Adjutant,  164th  Inf.  Brig,  reports  at  14:50  hours,  14 
October. 

**  Headquarters  328th  Infantry  at  99.6-84.55;  327th  Inf. 
at  99.7-83.3 ;  headquarters  164th  Infantry  Brigade,  also  the 
headquarters  of  3iyth  Machine  Gun  Bn.,  320th  Machine 
Gun  Bn.  and  321st  Machine  Gun  Bn.  all  in  Fleville." 

The  messages  in  the  Division  dossier  for  the  remainder 
of  October  14  will  be  discussed  later  in  this  chapter. 
Meanwhile,  it  is  desirable  to  follow  more  closely  the 
progress  of  the  attacking  regiments  of  this  Division. 


328th  Infantry  on  October  14,  1918 

The  328th  Infantry,  pursuant  to  Field  Orders  No.  24, 
occupied  about  a  kilometer  of  front  on  the  right  flank  of 
the  82nd  Division.  The  1st  Battalion  constituted  the 
assaulting  unit.  At  2  hours,  October  14,  it  had  relieved 
the  327th  Infantry  on  a  line  about  500  meters  north  of 
the  Sommerance-St.  Juvin  Road,  with  the  right  flank  of 
the  attack  a  little  west  of  a  north  and  south  line  through 
Sommerance.  C  Company  was  on  the  right  and  D  Com- 
pany on  the  left,  with  A  and  B  Companies  in  support  of 
C  and  D  Companies  respectively.  The  328th  Machine 
Gun  Company  (1st  Lieutenant  De  Saussure)  was  attached 
to  the  1st  Battalion,  together  with  the  37  mm.  and  trench 
mortar  platoons  of  the  Headquarters  Company.     The  2nd 


142  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

and  3rd  Battalions  were  in  support  along  the  St.  Juvin- 
Sommerance  Road.  A  platoon  of  C  Company,  321st 
Machine  Gun  Battalion,  was  attached  to  the  support  and 
the  other  platoons  of  that  company  cooperated  with  the 
combat  liaison  unit  between  the  328th  and  325th  Infantry. 
Early  in  the  morning  a  detachment  of  two  non-eommis- 
sioned  officers  and  two  privates  were  sent  from  M  Com- 
pany as  runners  to  the  166th  Infantry.  One  non-com- 
missioned officer  was  wounded  and  one  private  killed  while 
effecting  this  liaison. 

Just  prior  to  H  hour,  Regimental  P.  C.  was  moved 
up  to  a  hole  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance 
Road.  At  8:30  our  artillery  laid  down  a  strong  creeping 
barrage,  and  a  moment  later  a  portion  of  the  barrage  of 
the  42nd  Division  fell  upon  our  right  flank  and  elements 
of  the  166th  Infantry  came  from  south  of  Sommerance, 
overlapping  our  line  for  two  hundred  meters  west  of 
Sommerance. 

As  our  infantry  arose  from  the  fox  holes  and  started  to 
attack,  it  was  met  with  very  heavy  artillery  and  machine- 
gun  fire  and  considerable  gas  was  laid  down  in  the  vicinity 
of  Sommerance.  The  machine-gun  fire  was  particularly 
severe,  and  we  suffered  many  casualties  before  our  troops 
had  advanced  one  hundred  meters.  1st  Lt.  J.  W.  Hatton, 
leading  the  front  platoon  of  C  Company,  was  instantly 
killed  while  taking  a  rifle  shot  at  an  enemy  machine-gun 
nest.  Lieutenants  Folsom  and  Coombs  of  T>  Company  were 
both  severely  wounded.  Four  sergeants  in  D  Company 
went  down  before  this  fire.  Both  C  and  D  Companies  ad- 
vanced slowly,  working  around  and  silencing  machine-gun 
nests  which  they  found  scattered  in  the  little  patches  of 
woods  or  liidden  by  small  folds  of  the  ground.  The  lead- 
ing companies  pushed  through  the  wire  which  marked 
the  main  line  of  the  Kriemhilde-Stellung  position  about 
500  meters  southwest  from  St.  Georges.     B  and  A  Com- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  143 

panies  followed  in  support  with  two  platoons  of  H  Com- 
pany detailed  as  moppers-up  covering  the  rear. 

When  D  Company  had  crossed  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges 
Road,  B  Company  went  forward  and  filled  in  a  gap  be- 
tween the  328th  and  325th  Infantry.  At  this  point  Lieu- 
tenant Royal  of  B  Company  was  severely  wounded,  but 
continued  to  direct  his  platoon.  1st  Lt.  Y.  Lyons  Joel, 
who  commanded  the  two  ^'mopping  up''  platoons  of  H 
Company,  was  severely  wounded  by  shrapnel  and  died  later 
in  a  base  hospital.  The  166th  Infantry  had  failed  to  make 
similar  progress  on  our  right,  and  as  a  result  the  right 
flank  of  the  328th  Infantry  became  exposed  to  enfilade  fire 
from  the  east. 

Shortly  after  the  jump-off.  Major  Boyle  moved  his  P.  C. 
forward  with  the  attack,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  De 
Saussure  of  the  Machine  Gun  Company,  who  had  been 
previously  wounded  but  refused  to  be  evacuated.  But  a 
short  distance  had  been  covered  when  Lieutenant  De  Saus- 
sure was  instantly  killed  by  a  shell  fragment.  Regimental 
P.  C.  at  this  time  moved  to  a  cellar  in  the  western  part 
of  Sommerance,  from  which  point  it  was  in  wire  com- 
munication with  Battalion  and  Brigade  P.  C.  's. 

At  about  11  hours,  the  2nd  Battalion  moved  forward  in 
support,  following  the  1st  Battalion  at  500  meters.  G  and 
H  Companies  were  leading  with  E  and  F  Companies  in 
support.  The  3rd  Battalion  followed  the  2nd  at  the  same 
distance.  The  enemy  laid  down  a  heavy  barrage  across 
the  line  of  the  advancing  battalions.  At  13  hours,  the  2nd 
Battalion  executed  a  passing  of  the  lines  of  the  1st  Bat- 
talion and  G  Company,  with  a  platoon  of  II  Company 
worked  three  or  four  hundred  meters  north  of  the  St. 
Juvin-Sommerance  Road.  The  166th  Infantry  was  a 
kilometer  southeast  of  this  point  and  the  fire  received  from 
the  vicinity  of  St.  Georges,  as  well  as  from  the  front,  made 
further    progress    impracticable.      In    consequence,    the 


144  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

regimental  front  line  was  established  just  south  of  the  St. 
Juvin-St.  Georges  Road.  This  line  was  held  by  the  com- 
panies of  the  2nd  Battalion,  plus  A  Company,  while  C 
Company's  line  was  refused  to  establish  combat  liaison 
with  the  left  of  the  42nd  Division.  B  and  D  Companies 
were  withdrawn  in  support.  The  regiment  was  ex- 
tended to  the  utmost  in  an  effort  to  cling  to  the  advancing 
325th  Infantry  on  its  left  and  maintain  contact  with  the 
166th  Infantry,  which  had  been  definitely  checked  on  the 
right. 

The  1st  and  2nd  Battalion  P.  C.'s  were  consolidated 
in  a  single  shell  hole  in  rear  of  the  line,  and  while  this 
move  was  being  accomplished  Lt.  Robert  F.  Mitchell  of 
the  328th  Machine  Gun  Company  was  killed.  The  strength 
of  both  the  1st  and  2nd  Battalions  had  been  greatly  re- 
duced by  casualties  and  the  two  units  were  combined  under 
Major  Boyle  as  an  operating  Battalion,  although  all  the 
companies  retained  their  identity.  The  3rd  Battalion,  now 
reduced  to  ninety  men,  dug  in  on  a  position  a  kilometer 
north  of  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road.  During  October 
14  the  327th  Infantry,  in  support,  took  up  a  position 
along  the  Sommerance-St.  Juvin  Road. 

325th  Infantry  on  October  14,  1918 

The  325th  Infantry,  because  of  its  advanced  position  on 
the  crest  of  the  ridge  85.5,  was  already  on  the  first  objective 
assigned  by  the  Corps  and,  in  accordance  with  the  time 
schedule  prescribed,  did  not  attack  until  10  hours.  The 
1st  Battalion,  325th  Infantry  (Captain  Castle),  led  the 
assault,  supported  by  the  Stokes  Mortars  and  37  mm. 
platoons.  The  325th  Machine  Gun  Company  (Captain 
Williams)  sent  six  guns  to  the  1st  Battalion  and  four  to 
the  3rd  Battalion  which  supported  the  attack  at  a  distance 
of  about  1200  meters.     The  2nd  Battalion  was  held  in 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  145 

Division  Reserve.  The  assault  Battalion,  following  closely 
behind  an  excellent  barrage,  advanced  for  one  and  one-half 
kilometers,  reaching  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road  and  the 
crest  immediately  north  of  the  road.  The  3rd  Battalion 
also  advanced  and  later  the  2nd  Battalion  moved  forward 
in  line  of  combat  groups  as  if  on  drill.  Some  of  the  mes- 
sages received  by  Colonel  Whitman  during  the  morning 
indicate  the  progress  of  events. 

^*  10:30.  1st  Battalion  started  over  the  top  as  per 
schedule.  No  information  received  from  front  line  at  this 
time,  but  rear  waves  and  support  Battalion  can  be  seen 
from  this  position.  About  40  prisoners  have  passed  through 
our  hands.    Castle." 

'^  10:59.  Reports  show  line  advancing  as  per  schedule. 
Prisoners  are  seen  coming  over  the  hill  in  large  groups. 
Support  Battalion  is  now  passing  my  P.  C.  I  will  move 
forward  at  once  with  my  personnel  except  adjutant  and 
establish  new  P.  C.    Everything  looks  roseate.     Castle." 

'^2:03.  Have  established  new  P.  C.  at  98.6-85.8  in 
ravine.  Front  line  is  being  held  up.  Meeting  stiff  re- 
sistance from  ridge  north  of  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road. 
3rd  Battalion  should  be  pushed  forward  to  our  first 
objective  and  make  preparation  to  resist  counter-attack. 
Castle." 

**  12:45.  C.  O.  3rd  Battalion.  Report  position  of  your 
companies.  Castle  is  meeting  resistance  from  ridge  north 
of  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road.  Send  forward  to  see  if 
he  needs  support  and  put  one  company  in  if  necessary. 

Whitman." 

*'C.  0.  325th  Infantry,  13:20.  Co.  L  extends  right  of 
leading  Battalion  of  326th  which  is  halted  on  St.  Juvin- 
St.  Georges  Road.  Co.  L  is  on  the  road  from  98.1-98.4. 
Co.  K  from  98.4-99  on  parallel  86.2.  Co.  M  is  300  yards 
behind  L's  right.  Co.  I  is  200  yards  behind  K's  right. 
Have  pushed  one  platoon  Co.  L  out  150  yards  to  cover  the 


146  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

1st  Battalion  left.  The  leading  Battalion  of  326th  Infantry 
say  they  are  ordered  to  hold  this  road.  They  are  digging  in 
on  it.  Our  Regiment  can  not  go  on  without  putting  left 
flank  in  air.    Pierce." 

''14  hours.  To  C.  O.  3rd  Battalion.  Disregard  distance 
of  1200  meters  from  1st  Battalion.  Take  up  position  on 
ridge  in  rear  of  Castle.  Dig  in  and  hold  to  the  last  if 
attacked.  Get  in  touch  with  328th  Infantry  on  your  right 
at  once.    Whitman." 

"From  C.  O.  3rd  Bn.  326th  Inf.  to  C.  0.  325th  Inf. 
16:00.  Occupy  road  to  your  left  and  am  under  heavy 
M.  G.  fire  from  St.  Juvin,  flank  wholly  unprotected.  Will 
let  you  know  of  any  change.    Watkins.^' 

From  Major  Hawkins  after  a  reconnaissance : 

*'l.  Our  1st  Battalion  has  passed  beyond  observation  over 
ridge  through  parallel  86.8. 

"2.  Our  3rd  Battalion  has  2  companies  on  line  of  road 
from  about  98.3-86.3  to  about  98.9-86.6,  and  2  companies 
in  support  on  reverse  slope  about  400  meters  southeast. 

"3.  The  326th  Infantry  front  line  Battalion  has  pro- 
longed Major  Pierce's  line  on  the  road  leaving  left  of  our 
1st  Battalion  unprotected. 

"4.  This  Battalion  will  move  east  of  St.  Juvin  as 
directed  after  reconnaissance.     Hawkins." 

''14:30  to  C.  0.  1st  Bn.  Good  work.  Hold  what  you 
have.  The  326th  has  been  ordered  to  push  forward  to 
cover  your  left,  and  the  328th  to  cover  your  right.  Do 
not  go  too  far  ahead  of  your  flanks.  Pierce  will  support 
you.  Give  me  exact  position  of  your  lines.  Do  you  need 
ammunition  and  if  so  at  what  point?    Whitman. 


y> 


"15:45.  To  C.  0.  325th.  No  change  in  dispositions 
since  I  wrote  except  that  company  B  320th  M.  G.  Bn.  is 
placing  guns  in  new  support.  Support  Battalion  328th  is 
on  my  immediate  right.  Everything  standing  still.  I 
surmise  advance  waits  on  St.  Juvin  although  A  and  D  both 
wanted  artillery  on  final  objective  a  while  ago.    Boche  plane 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  147 

flying  straight  back  and  forth  along  our  line,  I  think  mark- 
ing it  for  fire.    None  of  our  planes  in  sight.    Pierce.'' 

**  15:50.  To  C.  0.  1st  Bn.  The  326th  has  been  ordered 
to  push  forward  to  protect  your  left.  Artillery  has  been 
called  for  500  yards  north  of  your  position.  Is  328th  as 
far  advanced  as  you  on  your  right?  Am  sending  am- 
munition to  your  P.  C.  Hold  what  you  have  until  your 
flanks  are  covered.     Fine  work.    Whitman.'' 

**  15:07.  D  Co.  reports  short  of  both  kinds  ammuni- 
tion. Suggests  details  from  reserve  battalion  be  sent  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  carry  7000  rounds  both  rifle  and 
Chauchat  ammunition  to  each  company.  Enemy  planes 
have  been  driven  off  by  our  planes,  but  not  until  they 
had  done  serious  damage.  D  Co.  reports  heavy  losses. 
B  Co.  is  now  in  front  line.  Request  C.  0.,  3rd  Bn.,  be 
instructed  to  place  two  companies  in  support  of  my  front 
line  on  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road  at  once.  I  have 
instructed  my  companies  to  dig  in  for  the  night.  Request 
artillery  fire  heavy  barrage  for  ten  minutes  at  intervals 
of  50  minutes  and  harassing  fire  between  times  during 
entire  night.  326th  Inf.  stopped  on  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges 
Road  and  say  they  have  instructions  to  go  no  further. 
Our  flanks  are  exposed.  Our  front  line  extends  from  98.2- 
86.5  to  99.2-86.9  (sgd)  Castle." 

An  excellent  statement  of  the  general  condition  of  all  our 
troops  at  the  close  of  operations  on  October  14  is  found 
in  the  following  summary  by  Colonel  Whitman,  taken 
from  the  history  of  the  325th  Infantry : 

*' Nightfall  found  us  well  north  of  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges 
Road  and  dug  in,  utilizing  shell  holes  for  the  combat 
groups.  Men  were  tired  and  wet  and  cold.  Casualties 
very  heavy. 

**Two  Stokes  Mortars  and  2  Pounders  were  placed  near 
the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road  and  were  used  against 
the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  and  woods  north  thereof.  Stokes 
fired  300  rounds.    Pounders  fired  850  rounds. 


148  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

**  Rations  and  water  were  brought  up  at  night  but  it 
was  a  difficult  matter  to  get  them  distributed  to  the  men. 
Details  were  sent  to  the  crossroads  for  food  but  it  was  a 
slow  process  under  shell  fire.  Many  men  had  lost  their 
raincoats  and  overcoats.  A  cold  persistent  rain  reduced 
their  spirits — ^the  shell  holes  were  deep  in  mud  and  water. 
It  was  a  time  that  called  for  the  best  stuff  in  every  officer 
and  man. 

' '  Our  positions  had  undoubtedly  been  thoroughly  studied 
by  enemy  planes  during  the  day.  Our  front  battalion  was 
conspicuous  on  the  ridge  north  of  the  main  road ;  its  flanks 
were  unsupported.  The  position  was  an  exposed  one,  fac- 
ing a  very  strong  position  of  the  Boche. 

** During  the  day  the  following  officers  were  casualties: 

Killed 

1st  Lt.  William  P.  Spratt 
1st  Lt.  Norman  A.  Garrett 
2nd  Lt.  George  "W.  Huston 

Wounded 

Major  Thomas  L.  Pierce 
1st  Lt.  J.  H.  Thompson 
2nd  Lt.  Everett  Shepherd 

**This  made  the  third  day  on  which  Major  Pierce  had 
been  wounded.  The  very  serious  nature  of  the  wound 
received  this  day  compelled  his  evacuation." 

326th  Infantry  on  October  14,  1918 

The  326th  Infantry  attacked  at  8:30  hours,  advancing 
on  the  left  of  the  Divisional  sector  on  a  front  of  about 
600  meters,  extending  east  from  St.  Juvin,  exclusive.  The 
3rd  Battalion  (Major  Watkins)  was  the  assault  unit,  with 
Companies  K  and  M  leading  on  the  right  and  left  re- 
spectively. Companies  I  and  L  were  in  support.  Two 
platoons  of  Company  K  were  maneuvered  to  protect  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  149 

left  flank  against  fire  coming  from  St.  Juvin.  This  platoon 
entered  the  eastern  outskirts  of  the  village,  destroyed 
several  machine-gun  nests,  captured  fifteen  machine  guns, 
one  cannon  and  about  seventy-five  prisoners.  This  success- 
ful exploit  enabled  the  Regiment  to  move  forward  past  St. 
Juvin  to  its  objective. 

The  advance  of  this  battalion  was  supported  by  A  Com- 
pany, 320th  M.  G.  Bn.  (Captain  Shivers).  Of  the  many 
gallant  deeds  which  were  performed  by  all  ranks  during 
this  attack  we  must  credit  here  that  of  Lt.  Wm.  C.  Ache- 
son,  commanding  the  3rd  Platoon  of  this  machine-gun 
company.  The  platoon  was  operating  with  the  right  flank 
of  the  battalion.  At  9 :30  hours  the  machine  gunners  cap- 
tured and  sent  to  the  rear  thirty-six  prisoners.  As  the 
advance  continued,  more  and  more  pressure  fell  upon  the 
battalion's  right  flank.  All  but  a  few  men  in  this  platoon 
were  killed  or  wounded  by  10 :30  hours.  At  this  time,  all 
the  men  at  one  gun  had  been  killed  or  wounded.  Lieu- 
tenant Acheson  at  once  took  charge  of  this  gun  himself  and 
continued  firing  without  assistance  until  he  also  was  killed. 

The  advance  continued  to  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges 
Road,  where  it  was  held  up  awaiting  the  arrival  of  sup- 
porting troops  on  the  right  and  left.  A  position  was 
organized  with  Companies  K,  L  and  M  on  the  road  and 
Company  I  perpendicular  to  the  road,  facing  St.  Juvin. 
The  2nd  Battalion  in  support  followed  the  assaulting  bat- 
talion, taking  a  position  in  the  ravine  across  the  St.  Juvin- 
Fleville  Road,  just  north  of  its  junction  with  the  road  to 
Sommerance.  Here  it  remained  until  about  16  hours,  at 
which  time  it  moved  forward  to  protect  the  left  flank  of 
the  3rd  Battalion  along  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road. 
The  1st  Battalion,  326th  Infantry,  was  not  released  from 
its  position  north  of  Marcq  and  west  of  the  river  until  a 
little  after  13  hours,  October  14,  when  it  was  relieved  by 
elements  of  the  77th  Division. 


150  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

The  plan  of  attack  had  contemplated  the  relief  of  this 
battalion  during  the  night  of  October  13-14,  and  following 
such  relief  the  battalion  was  to  be  used  as  a  reserve  in 
the  operations  east  of  the  river.  As  has  already  been 
indicated  in  the  messages  of  the  dossier,  considerable 
anxiety  was  felt  because  of  the  non-appearance  of  the  bat- 
talion, until  the  cause  for  the  delay  was  made  known.  The 
1st  Battalion  forded  the  Aire  River  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  14th  in  small  groups  because  of  the  intense  artillery 
fire.  While  en  route,  orders  reached  this  unit  directing  it 
to  take  station  at  Sommerance  in  Division  reserve. 

The  326th  Infantry  Regimental  P.  C.  was  moved  to  a 
ravine  south  of  the  St.  Juvin-Sommerance  Road  at  a  point 
99.3-83.3  and  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  moved  to  the 
ravine  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Juvin-Fleville-Sommer- 
ance  Roads,  known  throughout  the  division  as  the  ''Cul- 
vert" or  the  ''Bloody  Angle." 

A  message  from  the  1st  Battalion,  320th  F.  A.,  to  the 
157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  at  16:35  hours  indicates 
the  final  enemy  reaction  for  the  day  against  the  center  of 
our  line : 

"German  counter-attack  on  325th  Inf.  approximately 
between  meridians  98  and  99.  I  have  laid  do^vn  barrage 
at  87.2  between  meridians  98  and  99.  The  325th  front 
line  extends  from  86.6  to  86.9.  Tell  319th  F.  A.  to  give 
some  firing  along  line  87.5  between  meridians  98  and  99." 

Note:  Artillery  Headquarters  reports  that  238th  Field 
Artillery  (French)  and  320th  Field  Artillery  (American) 
are  executing  barrage  now  (16:30  hours),  also  that  it  is 
a  heavy  counter-attack. 

This  enemy  effort  was  shortly  dissipated  by  this  fire. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  TAKING  OF  ST.  JUVIN 

No  little  confusion  has  resulted  from  the  contradictory 
reports  concerning  the  capture  of  the  town  of  St.  Juvin. 
There  could  be  no  better  illustration  of  the  *'Fog  of  War'* 
which  often  envelops  local  details  of  large  operations.  Some- 
times the  confusion  is  created  by  the  failure  of  observers 
to  interpret  correctly  events  watched  from  a  distance.  In 
other  cases  subordinates  report  that  a  certain  course  of 
action  is  being  undertaken,  and  the  successive  transmis- 
sion of  this  information  results  in  the  confident  assertion 
at  a  Division  or  Corps  Headquarters  that  the  effort  has 
succeeded;  or,  the  effort  succeeds  for  the  moment  and  is 
later  reversed  by  the  enemy.  These  are  but  some  of  the 
causes  which,  in  the  heat  of  battle,  give  rise  to  con- 
troversy which  may  be  sincerely  maintained  by  both  parties 
for  a  lifetime. 

The  82nd  Division  does  not  consider  that  it  is  a  matter 
of  paramount  importance  whether  the  82nd  Division  or  the 
77th  Division  captured  St.  Juvin  and  Hill  182,  north  of 
St.  Juvin.  Both  Divisions  can  agree  that  the  town  was 
captured  by  the  1st  Corps,  and  it  is  doubtlessly  equally 
true  that  St.  Juvin  fell  because  of  the  joint  sacrifices  of 
these  two  Divisions. 

The  admiration  that  the  82nd  Division  entertains  for  the 
achievements  of  the  77th  Division  will  forever  prevent  any 
acrimonious  sting  in  a  discussion  of  this  question — a  ques- 
tion which,  at  the  mcSt,  will  be  of  interest  only  to  the  two 

151 


152  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Divisions  involved.  Nevertheless,  those  charged  with  the 
duty  of  presenting  an  accurate  record  of  the  battle  history 
of  the  82nd  Division  are  impelled  by  a  sense  of  obligation 
toward  those  of  our  Division  who  fell  in  and  around  St. 
Juvin  to  present  here  the  findings  of  our  painstaking  in- 
vestigation. We  have  no  disposition  to  press  the  official 
letter  from  General  Pershing  which  appears  in  an  Annex 
of  this  history,  in  which  the  Commander-in-Chief,  months 
after  the  Armistice,  congratulates  the  Division  upon  the 
capture  of  St.  Juvin.  Nor  again  does  the  82nd  Division  de- 
sire to  over-emphasize  the  fact  that  the  town  of  St.  Juvin 
became  untenable  for  any  substantial  force  of  the  enemy 
after  the  left  of  our  assaulting  line  had  swept  through  the 
eastern  outskirts  of  St.  Juvin  during  the  forenoon  of  Octo- 
ber 14.  It  is  true  that  no  one  doubts  the  military  maxim 
that  in  modern  warfare,  small  towns  fall  when  enveloped, 
or  that  the  possession  of  commanding  points  outside  of 
towns  inevitably  requires  the  evacuation  of  such  centers. 
It  is  therefore  unfortunate  that  a  practice  has  persisted 
by  which  military  successes  have  been  measured  in  terms 
of  unimportant  villages  rather  than  by  reference  to  ter- 
rain features,  which  were  the  governing  factors.  The 
physical  presence  of  a  few  soldiers  in  a  cluster  of  ruined 
buildings  has  often  received  an  emphasis  quite  unmerited. 
It  is  proposed,  however,  to  discuss  briefly  the  capture 
of  St.  Juvin  entirely  from  the  angle  of  physical  presence 
within  the  town.  It  is  also  proposed  to  discuss  here  the 
taking  of  Hill  182 — ^that  formidable  hump  covering  about 
a  square  kilometer  of  ground,  rising  to  a  plateau  crest  a 
little  north  of  St.  Juvin.  The  town  itself  is  located  on 
the  southern  slope  of  this  hill.  The  St.  Juvin-Grand-Pre 
Road  marks  the  southern  boundary  of  St.  Juvin  and  runs 
in  a  general  northwesterly  direction  parallel  to  the  Aire 
River.  At  St.  Juvin,  the  river  and  road  are  separated 
by  low,  level  ground,  about  500  meters  in  width. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  153 


Orders  prom  Higher  Authority 

The  Field  Order  of  the  1st  Corps  assigned  to  the  77th 
Division  the  mission  of  taking  St.  Juvin.  The  plan  called 
for  an  attack  from  the  south  and  east.  The  sector  of  the 
82nd  Division  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  St.  Juvin,  but 
the  town  was  specifically  excluded  from  the  Divisional 
sector.  This  entirely  sensible  plan  for  a  coordinated  ad- 
vance by  the  two  divisions  first  broke  down  when  the  77th 
Division  failed  on  the  night  of  October  13-14  to  relieve 
the  1st  Battalion  of  the  326th  Infantry,  which  was  holding 
the  lines  south  of  the  river  and  squarely  facing  St.  Juvin. 
Consequently,  the  77th  Division  did  not  attack  north 
across  the  river  at  8  hours  30  minutes  on  October  14.  In 
fact,  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  326th  Infantry,  as  previously 
said,  was  not  relieved  until  after  13  hours  (1  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon)  on  the  14th  day  of  October,  1918.  As  a 
consequence,  the  82nd  Division  fought  its  way  forward 
through  the  daylight  hours  of  October  14  with  a  left  flank 
more  perilously  exposed  with  each  hundred  meters  of 
ground  gained.  Heavy  casualties  were  inflicted  by  the 
fire  which  came  from  St.  Juvin  and  more  especially  from 
the  crest  of  Hill  182.  The  machine  guns  which  operated 
from  the  eastern  edge  of  St.  Juvin  were  for  the  most 
part  silenced  by  the  two  platoons  of  K  Company,  326th 
Infantry,  already  mentioned,  which  swept  through  the 
eastern  outskirts  in  a  successful  raid.  Fire  from  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  town  continued  throughout  the  day.  Our 
units  which  pushed  past  St.  Juvin  were  particularly 
harassed  from  Hill  182.  "Word  was  anxiously  awaited 
at  Division  Headquarters  stating  that  the  77th  Division 
was  crossing  the  river  and  had  cleaned  up  this  menace  to 
our  line. 

The  82nd  Division  dossier  records  a  question  by  Colonel 


154  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Johnston,  Chief *of  Staff,  82nd  Division,  to  General  Cronin, 
commanding  the  left  brigade  of  the  82nd  Division,  asking 
if  the  General  beHeved  it  would  be  better  to  take  St. 
Juvin.  The  General  replied  that  he  believed  he  could 
take  it.  Colonel  Johnston  directed  that  the  brigade  wait 
for  further  instructions  on  this  point.  The  dossier  also 
shows  a  conversation  between  the  same  two  officers  an 
hour  later,  at  14:35  hours.  Colonel  Johnston  said  he  had 
been  talking  to  the  1st  Corps  about  St.  Juvin  and  that  the 
Corps  had  told  him  that  if  the  77th  Division  did  not  hurry 
and  take  St.  Juvin,  the  82nd  Division  would  have  to  take 
it.  Colonel  Johnston  requested  the  General  to  prepare 
plans  for  occupying  the  town,  but  to  await  orders  before 
making  the  attack. 

At  15 :20  hours,  the  82nd  Division  Observation  Post  on 
the  high  ground  back  at  Marcq  reported  that  no  one  had 
been  seen  entering  St.  Juvin  from  the  west,  and  that  their 
observation  covered  the  entire  town  of  St.  Juvin  and 
ChampigneuUe. 

At  15 :30  hours,  October  14,  a  message  reached  Division 
Headquarters  from  Pilot  Lieutenant  Paradise  and  Observer 
Lieutenant  "Wright,  12th  Aero  Squadron,  stating  that  a  half- 
hour  previously  they  had  machine-gunned  enemy  troops 
in  trench  on  Hill  182. 

At  16  hours  10  minutes,  a  telephone  message  from  the 
82nd  Division  0.  P.  reported  that  troops  could  be  seen 
advancing  north  along  the  edge  of  the  woods  located  east 
of  Martincourt  Farm.  This  was  the  first  evidence  seen 
by  observers  of  an  advance  by  troops  of  the  77th  Division 
along  the  west  bank  of  the  Aire  River.  At  18  hours  the 
liaison  officer  with  the  77th  Division  telephoned  82nd 
Division  Headquarters  that  the  154th  Brigade  (77th  Divi- 
sion) reports  that  two  battalions  of  the  brigade  got  across 
the  river  at  16  hours  and  that  one  battalion  of  the  306th 
Infantry  was  crossing  behind  them  between  meridians  98 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  155 

and  99  and  moving  forward.     The  message  continues  as 
follows : 

"In  addition  to  two  battalions,  the  Brigade  reserve  is 
in  the  process  of  crossing  the  bridge  at  Fleville  and  will 
march  north  together  with  Brigade  Headquarters.  A  re- 
port will  be  made  when  they  are  entirely  across.  Another 
Uattalion  of  the  305th  Inf.  is  crossing  the  bridge  about  1 
kilo  north  of  Fleville.  An  officer  of  Brigade  Headquarters 
is  with  that  battalion.  Col.  Smedberg  is  going  to  take 
these  two  battalions  of  the  305th  Inf.  and  Brigade  reserve 
and  march  them  north.  That  makes  four  battalions,  and 
one  more  will  soon  be  there. ' ' 

This  message  was  immediately  followed  by  a  message  from 
77th  Division  Headquarters  that  Hill  182  was  occupied  at 
18  hours  by  the  77th  Division. 

The  final  report  from  the  77th  Division  Headquarters  of 
the  day's  activities  was  sent  to  the  82nd  Division  at  21:15 
hours  October  14th. 


**77th  Division  line  extends  from — east  boundary 

97.1-86.4 
96.8-86.3 
95.9-85.5 
94.3-85.5 
93.9-86.7 
93.0-86.11 

From  the  right  Brigade,  77th  Division,  at  19 :30  hours. — 
'*80  to  90  prisoners  have  been  taken  from  St.  Juvin  by  the 
306th  Inf.  As  yet  they  have  not  been  brought  into  the 
Division  and  identifications  are  not  known  at  this  time. ' ' 

From  the  right  Brigade,  77th  Division,  at  20 :15  hours. — 
'*We  have  H  Co.,  305th  Inf.,  on  hill  north  of  St.  Juvin. 
Two  battalions  of  the  305th  Inf.  are  in  support  east  of  St. 
Juvin.  We  have  perfect  liaison  with  the  325th  Inf.  The 
C.  O.  of  the  305th  Inf.  now  with  C.  0.  of  325th  Inf.  at 


156  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

98.6-84.9.     H  Co.,  305th  Inf.,  arrived  at  Hill  182  shortly; 
after  5  hours." 

The  sequence  of  these  messages  from  Headquarters  of  the 
77th  Division  would  indicate  that  some  time  after  16  hours, 
October  14,  the  units  of  the  77th  Division  occupied  St. 
Juvin,  and  that  after  18  hours  the  plateau  on  Hill  182 
was  occupied  in  force. 


"What  Transpired  on  the  Front 

But  during  these  hours  events  were  taking  place  on  the 
left  flank  of  the  82nd  Division,  which  have  since  been  sub- 
stantiated in  detail  by  of&cers  from  the  82nd  Division  who 
have  gone  over  the  ground  step  by  step  with  the  officers 
who  led  the  left  flank  units  of  the  82nd  Division  on  the 
14th  of  October,  1918.  During  the  afternoon  the  3rd 
Battalion  of  the  326th  Infantry,  in  line  just  northeast  of 
St.  Juvin,  was  receiving  a  very  harassing  fire  from 
machine  guns  located  in  the  northern  edge  of  St.  Juvin 
and  just  south  of  the  plateau  crest  of  Hill  182.  It  became 
a  matter  of  immediate  necessity  to  silence  this  fire  and 
occupy  the  terrain.  Lt.  Andrew  K.  Benjamin,  Co.  A, 
320th  M.  G.  Bn.,  with  the  1st  Platoon  of  that  company, 
was  supporting  the  326th  Infantry  from  a  point  just  east 
of  St.  Juvin.  At  about  15:30  hours,  Benjamin  led  his 
platoon,  plus  a  small  infantry  detachment,  into  St.  Juvin 
and  attacked  the  German  machine  gunners  established  in 
the  northern  half  of  St.  Juvin.  He  speedily  captured  three 
German  officers  and  twenty  German  machine  gunners  and 
drove  out  some  other  small  enemy  detachments  found  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  town.  Lieutenant  Benjamin  then 
set  up  his  guns  in  the  north  edge  of  the  town,  where  he 
had  complete  observation  on  the  plateau  of  Hill  182. 
Prisoners  were  sent  under  a  guard  back  to  the  St.  Juvin- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  157 

Fleville  Road.  Before  entering  the  town  Lieutenant  Ben- 
jamin was  in  a  position  from  which  all  of  the  terrain 
between  St.  Juvin  and  the  Aire  River  was  under  his  ob- 
servation, and  he  had  closely  watched  this  territory  in 
order  to  discover  either  the  approach  of  supporting  troops 
on  his  left  or  an  enemy  attempt  to  envelop  our  flank 
from  the  west.  When  Lieutenant  Benjamin's  men  re- 
turned to  the  Hill  after  turning  over  the  prisoners  they 
informed  him  that  they  had  seen  troops  of  the  77th  Divi- 
sion advancing  in  open  formation  just  south  of  St.  Juvin. 
They  also  informed  him  that  a  body  of  the  enemy  hidden 
in  the  south  edge  of  the  town  along  the  Grand-Pre  Road 
had  given  themselves  up  to  the  77th  Division.  Lieutenant 
Benjamin  remained  in  position  and  at  the  alert  throughout 
the  night.  No  troops  from  the  77th  Division  were  seen 
or  heard  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  nor  were  any 
Americans  apparent  at  any  time  on  the  plateau  crest  of 
Hill  182. 

At  this  point  it  is  necessary  to  interrupt  the  discussion 
of  events  on  Hill  182  in  order  to  follow  the  march  of  events 
throughout  the  Division  on  the  night  of  October  14  and 
the  morning  of  the  15th.  Attention  is  here  invited,  however, 
to  the  discussion  of  the  taking  of  Hill  182,  on  the  morning 
of  October  15,  which  will  follow  in  sequence  a  little  later 
in  this  narrative. 

The  Machine  Gun  Battalions  of  the  Division  rendered 
the  utmost  assistance  during  the  period  October  15th  to 
November  1st,  1918,  by  firing  overhead  barrages  and  cross 
fires  which  searched  the  ravines  and  gullies  utilized  by  the 
enemy.  These  firing  schedules  were  carefully  prepared  by 
Major  Moore,  the  Division  Machine  Gun  officer,  assisted  by 
Captain  Louis  Marchand  of  the  French  Mission  attached  to 
the  82nd  Division. 


CHAPTER  Xy 

THE  ST.  GEOEGES'  ROAD  AND  HILL  182 

82nd  Division  Field  Orders  No.  25  issued  at  21  hours, 
October  14,  directed  a  continuation  of  the  attack  at  7:30 
hours,  October  15,  1918.  The  order  stated  that  **the 
Kriemhilde-Stellung  has  been  breached  by  the  82nd  Div.'' 
It  provided  that  troops  be  formed  for  attack  at  6  hours, 
15th  October,  jumping  off  at  7  hours  30  minutes  and  con- 
tinuing without  halt  to  the  Corps  objective.  Artillery 
preparation  was  to  continue  throughout  the  night,  using 
quantities  of  non-persistent  gas  until  H  minus  4  hours.  A 
barrage  was  prescribed  300  meters  in  front  of  the  jump- 
ing-off  line  at  7  hours  25  minutes  to  move  forward  at  the 
rate  of  100  meters  in  6  minutes  at  7 :30  hours.  One  para- 
graph of  the  order  contains  the  following: 

''Attention  is  invited  to  the  advisability  of  covering 
the  advance  with  scouts  separated  by  wide  intervals.  In 
the  attack  supports  and  reserves  will  be  kept  well  echel- 
oned in  depth  and  will  advance  in  lines  of  small  columns. 
It  must  be  impressed  upon  all  that  the  wide  front  tHe 
Division  is  called  upon  to  cover,  necessitates  considerable 
intervals  between  combat  groups.  Thickening  of  front 
lines  where  resistance  is  encountered  by  feeding  in  sup- 
ports and  reserves  must  be  avoided.  Full  use  will  be 
made  of  all  auxiliary  infantry  weapons  and  the  forward 
guns  of  the  field  artillery.'* 

158 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  159 

The  Posts  of  Command  in  the  Division  were  specified: 

82nd  Div.  Headquarters. .  .No  change. 

163rd  Brig 98.4-84.9,  from  10  hours. 

164th  Brig Sommerance,  from  10  hours. 

157th  F.  A.  Brig No  change. 

The  order  of  regiments  on  the  Division  front  was  un- 
changed. The  328th  Infantry  still  occupied  the  right  flank, 
with  the  325th  Infantry  in  the  center  and  the  326th  In- 
fantry on  the  left.  The  327th  Infantry  continued  in 
support  behind  the  right  flank  of  the  Division. 

The  orders  which  reached  the  328th  Infantry  during 
the  night  of  October  14-15  were  further  supplemented 
with  the  direction  that  the  regiment  would  attack  as 
soon  as  the  42nd  Division  came  up  abreast  of  the  leading 
battalion  of  the  328th  Infantry.  Captain  Weaver  of  C 
Company,  328th  Infantry,  went  over  to  the  Captain  of 
the  left  company  of  the  166th  Infantry  and  informed  him 
of  the  contents  of  the  order  received.  Captain  Weaver 
was  told  that  the  42nd  Division  would  advance  at  H  hour. 

Serious  Enemy  Attack,  October  15,  1918 

At  about  7  hours  the  enemy  made  a  very  determined 
infantry  counter-attack  along  our  entire  Divisional  front, 
preceding  the  assault  with  a  particularly  vicious  barrage 
of  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire. 

Visibility  was  very  poor  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  and 
our  men  had  practically  no  warning  of  the  approaching 
enemy  infantry.  The  German  barrage  held  our  men  on 
the  exposed  ridge,  flattened  in  fox  holes,  and  a  swarm 
of  the  gray-uniformed  enemy  was  on  top  of  our  outposts 
before  the  combat  groups  a  little  in  the  rear  could  grasp 
the  full  significance  of  the  peril.  A  desperate  fight  of  an 
individual  character  followed  at  hand-to-hand  range  in 


160  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

all  three  regiments.  Full  force  of  the  blow  fell  upon  the 
left  flank  units  of  the  328th  Infantry  and  the  right  flank 
of  the  325th  Infantry.  Some  of  our  combat  groups  were 
forced  back  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  on  to  the  St.  Juvin- 
St.  Georges  Road.  The  support  groups  on  the  road,  how- 
ever, at  once  advanced  to  engage  the  enemy  while  the 
men  in  the  328th  Infantry,  a  short  distance  to  the  right 
of  the  point  of  impact,  stood  up  in  their  fox  holes  and 
opened  rapid  fire  with  their  rifles  and  Chauchots.  Further- 
more, troops  were  pushed  forward  on  the  right  of  our 
line  from  which  point  they  could  shoot  enfilade  volleys 
down  the  German  infantry  lines. 

The  spirit  of  resistance  which  our  men  everywhere 
evinced  shattered  the  enemy  assault  and  inflicted  very 
heavy  losses.  In  about  fifteen  minutes  the  German  sur- 
vivors were  running  back,  pursued  by  American  fire. 
During  this  encounter  both  sides  lost  in  captured  about 
an  equal  number  of  prisoners — ^perhaps  thirty  or  forty. 
There  was  little  inclination  to  surrender  shown  by  either 
side.  At  7:25  hours  our  own  bombardment  fell  as  pre- 
viously scheduled  and  hastened  the  enemy  retirement. 

328th  Infantry  on  October  15,  1918 

The  166th  Infantry  did  not  advance  at  H  hour  and  the 
328th  Infantry  was  in  consequence  unable  to  advance  ex- 
cept for  a  short  distance.  The  left  flank  of  the  regiment, 
however,  endeavored  to  stretch  forward  in  liaison  with 
the  325th  Infantry.  At  8  hours,  German  skirmishers  were 
discovered  on  the  right  flank  of  the  328th  Infantry,  and 
in  front  of  the  166th  Infantry.  Lieutenant  Day  with  a 
strong  patrol  was  sent  to  attack  these  enemy  elements  and 
succeeded  in  capturing  prisoners  and  compelling  the  re- 
tirement of  German  elements  encountered. 

Throughout  the  day  the  enemy  poured  a  terrific  shell 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  161 

and  machine-gun  fire  upon  our  lines  while  enemy  planes 
flew  at  low  altitudes  and  machine-gunned  our  infantry. 
Lieutenant  Mc Arthur,  328th  Inf.,  moved  his  37  mm. 
Platoon  into  the  front  line  and  fired  point-blank  at  ma- 
chine-gun nests  and  other  targets.  The  328th  Machine 
Gun  Company  (Captain  Jones)  occupied  the  woods  on  the 
right  flank  of  the  regiment  and  did  effective  work.  An 
artillery  observer  occupied  a  shell  hole  near  the  forward 
Battalion  P.  C.  and  numerous  targets  were  given  to  the 
accompanying  75  mm.  guns.  Telephone  wires  were  continu- 
ally cut  by  enemy  shelling,  but  the  men  from  the  Signal 
Platoon  worked  steadily  under  enemy  observation  repair- 
ing the  breaks.  It  rained  intermittently  throughout  the 
day  and  at  night  a  steady  downpour  set  in. 

325th  Infantry  on  October  15,  1918 

In  the  325th  Infantry,  arrangement  of  troops  on  the 
morning  of  October  15  was  the  same  as  on  the  previous 
day  except  that  the  325th  Machine  Gun  Company  was 
scheduled  to  join  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  325th  Infantry 
in  Division  reserve.  C  Company,  320th  M.  G.  Bn.,  was 
assigned  to  the  assaulting  battalion  of  the  regiment. 

The  counter-attack  against  the  325th  Infantry  fell  with 
especial  force  against  Companies  B  and  D  which  tem- 
porarily retired  to  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road.  Cap- 
tain Castle,  commanding  the  1st  Battalion,  telephoned  at 
once  to  Colonel  Whitman  and  the  support  Battalion  was 
immediately  thrown  forward  to  stiffen  the  line.  Prompt 
action  by  Captain  Taylor  with  A  and  C  Companies  on  the 
right  flank  broke  up  the  Boche  line  in  front  of  the  Eegi- 
ment  and  the  enemy  retired  leaving  seven  machine  guns 
and  nine  prisoners.  Shortly  after  H  hour  the  325th  In- 
fantry advanced  to  the  crest  north  of  the  road  but  could 
go  no  farther.     Heavy  machine-gun  fire  from  the  front 


102  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

and  flanks  held  our  men  at  this  point.  The  Division  now 
ran  out  into  a  salient  between  St.  Juvin  and  St.  Georges, 
and  it  was  apparent  that  no  substantial  progress  would 
be  possible  until  the  Divisions  on  our  right  and  left  were 
able  to  get  forward  in  turn.  During  the  afternoon  our 
attack  was  again  pushed  in  the  center,  and  elements  of 
the  325th  Infantry  reached  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres.  Twenty 
machine  guns  and  a  number  of  prisoners  were  taken. 
This  ravine  was  destined  to  be  a  very  formidable  obstacle 
and  the  scene  of  much  hard  fighting  before  it  became  the 
permanent  possession  of  this  Division.  The  ravine  was 
very  deep,  with  a  fairly  perpendicular  drop  on  the  southern 
side.  It  wa^  filled  with  a  dense  growth,  and  the  northeast 
end  of  the  ravine  ran  up  into  a  string  enemy  position 
northwest  of  St.  Georges.  As  a  result  enemy  machine 
gunners  could  easily  filter  into  this  open  end  and  gain  a 
position  on  the  flank  of  our  forward  elements  without 
coming  under  observation.  Deep  dugouts  in  the  south 
wall  of  the  ravine  gave  the  enemy  security  from  our  fire, 
but  were  not  so  happily  placed  for  protection  from  the 
north  when  we  occupied  the  position.  It  was  from  this 
ravine  that  the  enemy  counter-attack  emerged  on  the 
morning  of  the  15th,  and  to  this  shelter  that  it  returned 
after  the  repulse.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  our  men 
who  reached  this  point  were  exposed  to  a  fire  of  such 
intensity  that  the  survivors  withdrew  to  the  crest  north 
of  the  St.  Georges  Road  and  dug  in  for  the  night.  Our 
men  were  now  at  the  point  of  exhaustion  from  lack  of 
sleep  and  constant  exposure  to  cold  and  rain. 

The  1st  Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  reported  7  officers 
and  125  men  as  fighting  effectives,  while  the  3rd  Battalion 
of  that  regiment  made  a  return  of  3  officers  and  175  men. 


OFFICLIL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  163 


826th  Infantry  on  October  15,  1918 

In  the  326th  Infantry  Colonel  McArthur  had  planned 
to  make  the  assault  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  with  the 
1st  Battalion  which  was  to  move  from  its  position  in  re- 
serve near  Sommerance  and,  passing  through  the  3rd 
Battalion  in  the  front  line,  continue  in  a  northerly  direc- 
tion to  the  high  ground  east  of  Champ igneulle,  keeping 
in  liaison  with  the  325lh  Infantry  on  the  right.  The  1st 
Battalion  was  delayed  in  making  the  considerable  move- 
ment required,  and  Major  "Watkins,  knowing  that  the  at- 
tack must  go  off  at  H  hour,  did  not  wait  for  relief  but 
initiated  the  attack  with  the  3rd  Battalion.  The  advance 
here,  also,  was  made  in  the  face  of  very  intense  fire.  The 
Battalion  succeeded,  however,  in  getting  forward  until  its 
right  flank  was  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Ravin  aux 
Pierres.  The  left  flank  of  the  Battalion  was  on  the  north- 
east slope  of  Hill  182.  At  this  point  the  1st  Battalion, 
with  Companies  A  and  D  in  assault  and  B  and  C  in  sup- 
port, passed  through  the  3rd  Battalion  and  continued  the 
attack.  It  was  found  possible  to  make  only  a  slight  ad- 
vance, but  a  considerable  number  of  prisoners  were  cap- 
tured. Both  flanks  of  the  Battalion  were  receiving  fire 
and  Captain  Knowles  gave  orders  to  dig  in  and  hold. 

The  Affair  on  Hill  182 

The  order  of  events  now  moves  farther  to  the  west, 
where  a  very  extraordinary  affair  raged  for  a  half-day 
on  the  top  of  Hill  182  and  left  that  strategic  point  in  the 
possession  of  the  82nd  Division.  The  82nd  Division  re- 
gards the  exploit  on  Hill  182  during  the  forenoon  of  the 
15th  as  one  of  the  striking  episodes  in  the  war  and  a 
brilliant  example  of  success  won  against  great  odds  by 


1&4  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

a  small  American  unit.  The  whole  business  smacks  of 
modern  knight  errantry.  Capt.  Frank  M.  Williams,  com- 
manding the  325th  Machine  Gun  Company,  had  been 
directed  to  take  his  company  to  Hill  182  and  from  there 
to  support  by  machine-gun  fire  the  advance  of  the  Divi- 
sion's left  flank.  At  about  6  hours  Captain  "Williams 
sent  runners  to  his  company,  then  supporting  the  line  of 
the  325th  Infantry,  directing  his  lieutenant  to  move  the 
company  on  to  Hill  182.  Captain  Williams  started  alone 
for  the  hill  intending  to  reconnoiter  machine-gun  positions 
before  the  arrival  of  his  men.  The  previous  experience 
of  this  officer  is  suffi.ciently  unusual  to  deserve  mention. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  Deputy  Sherili  in  both 
Wyoming  and  ]\Iontana,  and  during  that  time  had  won 
some  twenty  individual  gun  fights  against  cattle  outlaws. 
He  once  won  the  bronco  riding  championship  at  the 
big  Cheyenne  open  tournament.  Later  he  had  joined 
Buffalo  Bill's  ''Wild  West"  show  where  he  gave  exhibi- 
tions in  riding  untamed  horses  and  was  pronounced  by 
Colonel  Cody  the  greatest  bronco  breaker  the  Colonel 
had  ever  seen.,.  Captain  Williams  walked  through  the 
eastern  part  of  St.  Juvin  and  saw  no  American  or  Ger- 
man troops.  On  the  eastern  slope  of  the  hill,  near  the 
north  edge  of  the  town,  he  found  a  lieutenant  with  a 
platoon  from  the  77th  Division  occupying  a  piece  of  trench. 
The  lieutenant  informed  him  that  the  platoon  had  become 
separated  from  other  troops  of  the  77th  Division  and  did 
not  know  where  they  were  now  located.  He  had  therefore 
placed  himself  on  the  flanks  of  the  326th  Infantry.  He 
arrived  there  during  the  night  and  had  no  information 
of  the  enemy.  Captain  Williams  advised  him  to  send  a 
runner  to  find  his  battalion  commander.  Captain  Wil- 
liams then  strolled  on  to  the  top  of  Hill  182.  The  mist 
was  so  heavy  that  he  found  it  impossible  to  see  more  than 
approximately  a  hundred  yards  to  the  front.    Shortly  after 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  165 

his  arrival  a  heavy  barrage  fell  on  the  Hill  during  which 
he  took  shelter  at  the  north  edge  of  the  town  where 
he  found  men  of  Lieutenant  Benjamin's  platoon.  The 
Lieutenant  had  left  the  hill  a  few  moments  previously 
for  a  conference  with  his  Battalion  Commander.  "When 
the  barrage  lifted  Captain  "Williams  walked  back  on  to 
the  crest  of  the  Hill.  Here  he  observed  a  group  of  five 
German  soldiers  walking  toward  him  at  about  a  hun- 
dred yards'  distance  with  an  American  prisoner.  Cap- 
tain Williams  walked  over  to  the  group  empty-handed 
and  when  within  a  few  yards  made  a  lightning  reach  for 
the  pistol  on  his  belt  and  in  the  fight  that  followed  killed 
four  Germans  and  took  the  fifth  prisoner.  As  the  fifth 
German  raised  his  arm  in  surrender,  Captain  "Williams 
caught  sight  of  a  long  enemy  skirmish  line  coming  over 
the  northern  end  of  the  plateau  attacking  directly  toward 
St.  Juvin.  The  enemy  party  numbered  roundly  about 
200  men.  Using  a  dead  German's  rifle,  Captain  "Williams 
shot  one  of  the  enemy  who  marched  a  few  paces  in  ad- 
vance of  the  attacking  skirmish  line.  The  German  line 
took  cover  and  Captain  "Williams  jumped  down  the  bank 
on  to  the  sunken  road  near  the  cemetery  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  hill  and  ran  back  under  cover  toward  St. 
Juvin.  He  crossed  through  the  northern  part  of  the  town 
to  the  eastern  slope  where  he  met  his  machine-gun  com- 
pany at  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  Captain  Williams,  shout- 
ing ''Follow  me!"  ran  back  on  to  the  hill,  his  leading 
gun  close  behind  him.  This  gun  opened  fire  on  the  Ger- 
man line  which  was  then  advancing  at  close  range.  The 
other  guns  almost  immediately  joined.  Li  the  fight  which! 
followed  the  entire  German  party  were  killed,  wounded 
or  driven  from  the  hill  and  about  half  of  our  com- 
pany were  casualties.  A  column  of  several  hundred  of 
the  enemy  was  observed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  railroad 
yards  just  west  of  Hill  182.    Our  machine  gunners  turned 


166  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

their  attention  to  this  force  and  scattered  it  with  heavy 
losses.  This  German  attack  was  part  of  the  assault  made 
against  our  entire  front  and  to  which  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made.  The  lieutenant  ajid  the  platoon  of  the 
77th  Division  met  by  Captain  "Williams  on  the  east  slope 
of  Hill  182  were  not  present  during  this  fight.  Y/hen  the 
enemy  counter-attacked  the  lieutenant  retired  with  his 
platoon  and  passed  through  Captain  AYilliams'  company 
as  it  came  up  the  east  side  of  St.  Juvin.  By  noon  on 
October  15  when  activities  had  ceased  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hill  182  Captain  Williams  personally  went  back  through 
the  town  until  he  reached  the  St.  Juvin-Grand-Pre  Road 
in  the  vicinity  oi  w^hich  he  found  a  Captain  from  the 
77th  Division  who  stated  that  he  was  in  command  of  the 
right  Battalion  of  the  77th  Division.  Captain  Williams 
reported  to  this  officer  and  stated  that  his  own  company 
was  witliin  this  officer's  sector  and  badly  in  need  of  rein- 
forcements on  Hill  182,  where  it  had  without  assistance 
beaten  off  a  very  strong  counter-attack.  Captain  Williams 
also  asked  the  Battalion  Commander  if  he  had  any  in- 
structions to  give  him.  Captain  Williams  was  informed 
that  the  Battalion  Commander  could  not  make  any  dis- 
positions until  he  had  reported  the  situation  to  higher 
authority.  Captain  W^illiams  returned  to  his  company  and 
remained  alone  on  Hill  182  throughout  the  afternoon  and 
night  until  2  hours  on  the  morning  of  October  16.  At 
this  time  about  two  platoons  from  the  77th  Division  came 
to  the  Hill  and  dug  in  near  the  line  occupied  by  the  men 
from  the  82nd  Division.  Two  hours  later  these  platoons 
of  the  77th  Division  were  relieved  by  units  from  the  78th 
Division. 

Some  messages  in  the  Division  dossier  for  October  15 
are  given  herewith: 

'*From  Gen.  Cronin  at  8  hours,  Oct.  15,  1918.    Pusjiincr 
our  counter-attack  on  the  right  of  the  325th,  and  Colonel 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  167 

Whitman  has  asked  for  artillery  support.  He  does  not 
think  he  will  need  the  Division  Reserve.  Thinks  he  can 
handle  the  situation  with  some  artillery  support." 

**From  Gen.  Cronin  at  8:45  hours,  Oct.  15.  Just  re- 
ceived message  from  "Whitman  that  his  right  flank  has  been 
forced  back  to  the  position  of  his  left.  That  flank  is  un- 
protected. ' '  Colonel  Johnston  inquired  if  he  could  push  a 
battalion  in  direction  of  the  left  flank  moving  under  the 
nose  of  the  Hill  near  St.  Juvin  and  attack  the  enemy  in 
the  flank. 

**From  Adjutant  163rd  Inf.  Brigade  8:55  hours,  Oct. 
15.  Message  from  Major  Watkins  at  8:49  hours.  Off  in 
good  shape.  Men  in  fine  spirits.  Some  machine-gun  op- 
position. I  can  handle  that.  Have  taken  30  odd  prisoners. 
Need  some  litter  bearers.'' 

*'From  Adjutant  163rd  Inf.  Brig.,  9  hours,  15  Oct. 
326th  Infantry  advancing  in  good  shape.  325th  have  ad- 
vanced to  parallel  87  and  are  holding  their  own  but  not 
advancing.'* 

*'From  Adjutant  163rd  Inf.  Brigade  at  9  hours.  325th 
holding  well.  Will  advance  in  a  few  minutes  behind  new 
artillery  barrage.    Major  Watkins  wants  14  ambulances." 

'*  Message  from  Adjutant  164th  Inf.  Brigade,  10:10 
hours,  15  Oct.  1918.  Captain  Tomasello,  Operations  OfQcer 
328th  Infantry,  reports  42nd  Division  can  not  advance  on 
account  of  heavy  machine-gun  fire.  Suggest  that  they  fall 
back  and  call  for  barrage.  Combat  liaison  will  sit  tight 
and  cover  flank.  The  balance  of  Regiment  will  go  ahead. 
Doing  all  business  by  runners." 

**From  163rd  Inf.  Brigade,  at  10:40  hours,  15  Oct.  Am 
sending  2  officers  and  32  men  in  as  prisoners.  They  were 
taken  this  morning  northeast  of  St.  Juvin  by  326th  In- 
fantry at  about  8:30  hours.  Also  report  that  prisoners 
and  guard  marching  down  road  to  Division  Headquarters 
have  been  fired  on  by  77th  Division  on  our  left.  Please 
take  this  up  and  have  it  stopped." 


168  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

''Colonel  Joknston  to  Chief  of  Staff  42nd  Division,  10:45 
hours,  15  Oct.  Your  elements  on  your  left  are  held  up 
in  front  of  the  wire.  This  is  holding  back  the  entire  ad- 
vance. If  agreeable,  we  will  take  St.  Georges  for  you.  If 
not,  we  wish  you  would  consider  the  possibility  of  moving 
your  troops  by  the  left  flank  and  using  the  eastern  slope 
of  Hill  230  to  flank  out  St.  Georges  from  the  west.  Our 
troops  can  turn  the  right  flank  back  along  the  heights  and 
allow  you  to  use  the  slopes.  The  Brigadiers  are  in  direct 
communication  with  one  another  and  it  would  be  agree- 
able to  us  for  them  to  mutually  arrange  this  plan  of  attack 
with  the  understanding  that  the  western  limit  of  your 
artillery  fire  will  remain  unchanged.'* 

''Optimist  3  (Chief  of  Staff  42nd  Division)  replied: 
This  seems  a  good  plan  and  we  are  willing  to  try  it.  Will 
notify  our  left  Brigade  if  you  will  notify  your  right  and 
direct  them  to  proceed  with  this  maneuver.'* 


Colonel  Johnston  telephoned  the  substance  of  this  mes- 
sage to  the  Adjutant  of  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade. 

"From  Headquarters  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade,  at 
10 :30,  October  15,  1918.  320th  Field  Artillery  reports  at 
10:30  hours  heavy  artillery  shells  passing  over  B  Battery 
of  that  Eegiment.  Shells  are  falling  in  our  lines.  Rotating 
bands  have  fallen  at  00.46.  Have  called  up  Corps 
Artillery,  also  42nd  Division  and  reported  same  to  them, 
as  we  believe  it  is  from  this  Division,  their  batteries  being 
directly  in  rear  of  the  battery  reporting  this  fire. ' ' 

"Report  of  examination  of  a  detaehment  of  25  prisoners, 
at  10:40,  15  Oct.  The  prisoners  including  one  lieutenant 
were  captured  this  morning  about  1  kilometer  northeast 
of  St.  Juvin,  just  south  of  road  leading  from  St.  Juvin. 
to  St.  Georges.  Prisoners  had  received  orders  to  carry 
out  a  counter-attack  against  our  troops,  but  before  well 
under  way  were  encountered  by  our  forces  and  cap- 
tured. Prisoners  stated  that  our  effective  machine-gun  fire 
which  came  from  all  sides  kept  Germans  from  advancing 
and  attack  broke  down.  Most  of  prisoners  belong  to  1st 
Battalion  of  210th  Raiment,  45tk  Reserve  Division,  which 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  169 

had  been  kept  in  reserve  until  this  morning.  When  ques- 
tioned as  to  the  enemy  defenses  in  the  rear  and  the  posi- 
tions which  were  to  be  occupied  in  case  of  retreat,  prisoners 
stated  that  no  prepared  positions  existed  to  their  knowl- 
edge. In  all  cases  their  orders  had  been  to  hold  their 
positions  at  all  costs.'* 

''From  166th  Infantry  (83rd  Brigade,  42nd  Division), 
at  10 :30  hours,  15  Oct.  Do  not  need  any  special  assistance 
in  getting  through  wire  if  we  can  get  to  it.  Are  held  up 
by  machine-gun  fire  and  not  by  obstacles.  General  Lenahan 
advises  that  artillery  preparation  is  now  in  progress  on 
St.  Georges  and  Landres-St.  Georges  and  on  the  road  be- 
tween the  two  towns.  The  fire  will  be  lifted  to  the  3rd 
objective  at  11 :15  hours  when  Infantry  will  renew  attack.'* 

*' Liaison  Officer  with  42nd  Division  reports  at  11:30 
hours,  15  October,  1918,  that  Tank  Commander  with  42nd 
Division  started  with  25  tanks.  He  arrived  at  our  lines 
with  16  tanks.  Went  into  action  with  ten  tanks  with  the 
advance  element.  He  went  across  the  ravine  northwest 
199  Woods  about  center  of  the  sector.  He  went  across  the 
wire  and  across  trenches  receiving  very  heavy  fire.  In- 
fantry unable  to  keep  up  with  him.  He  was  forced  to 
retire  with  only  7  tanks.  His  personnel  and  machinery  are 
seriously  damaged.  He  says  that  he  can  do  nothing  more 
in  this  vicinity  and  tanks  are  now  withdrawn  from  this 
line.*' 

*'From  Capt.  Webster,  164th  Infantry  Brigade,  12:20 
hours,  15  Oct.  Prisoners  captured  by  328th  patrol  at  9 :30 
hours  at  00.2-86.9  say  that  they  belong  to  the  31st  Regiment, 
15th  Bavarian  Division.  Were  in  reserve  and  came  in 
line  at  6  hours  this  morning.  Report  that  they  were  given 
notification  yesterday  officially  by  a  Division  Commander 
that  armistice  was  hourly  awaited." 

**From  77th  Division,  12:40  hours,  15  Oct.  154th  Bri- 
gade has  two  companies  on  the  road  400  yards  west  of 
St.  Juvin.  Will  proceed  on  St.  Juvin-Grand-Pre  Road 
and  mop  up  between  it  and  the  river. ' ' 


170  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OL'  82nd  DIVISION 

*'Keports  received  by  Capt.  Dunlap  at  12:42  hours  from 
the  adjutants  of  both  infantry  brigades  indicated  following 
fighting  strength  in  those  two  organizations; 

163rd  Inf.  Brig 98  Officers,  2815  Men 

164:th  Inf.  Brig 43  Officers,  1068  Men 

*'15  Oct.  1918  at  14:15  hours.  Maj.  Hav/kins  reports 
326th  Inf.  and  306th  Inf.  support  lines  were  mixed  up 
but  have  been  reorganized  by  the  officers.  Roads  in  vicinity 
of  St.  Juvin  passable  but  very  muddy." 

**15  Oct.  1918  at  14:25  hours.  From  Lieut.  Mitchell, 
Liaison  Officer  with  77th  Division.  Just  received  mes- 
sage from  Col.  Smedburg,  77th  Division,  stating  that  he 
knows  disposition  of  77th  Division  troops  on  our  left,  and 
that  he  can  have  the  line  straightened  out  very  soon." 

''15  Oct.  1918,  at  15  hours.  163rd  Inf.  Brig,  reports 
that  326th  Inf.  is  held  up  in  its  advance  on  account  of 
inability  of  325th  Inf.  to  advance.  325th  Inf.  has  been 
reorganizing.  Barrage  is  being  requested  and  they  are 
now  advancing.  326th  suffered  from  machine-gun  fire  at 
97.0-87.0.  Artillery  is  hammering  on  this  point.  Artil- 
lery fire  on  Champigneulle  would  be  very  acceptable." 

Col.  Johnston  called  on  the  artillery  to  fire  for  25  min- 
utes on  Champigneulle  and  trenches  along  southwestern 
edge  of  town. 

"15  Oct.  1918  at  15:10  hours.  From  Capt.  Webster. 
The  P.  C.  of  advance  Bn.  of  166th  Inf.  now  in  Sommer- 
ance  reports  that  after  advancing  this  morning  they  had 
to  withdraw.  Are  now  w^aiting  for  advance  of  165th  Inf. 
on  their  right.     Nothing  to  report  on  164th  Brig,  front." 

''15  Oct.  1918  at  15:45  hours.  Pigeon  message  to  Al- 
bany-7  from  Hdqrs.  328th  Inf.  at  15  hours.  Message  re- 
ceived 15 :40  hours.  Place  Sommerance.  We  are  under 
heavy  fire  from  large  caliber  guns.  Have  planes  spot  these 
guns  and  put  our  heavies  to  work  on  them.  Have  this 
this  done  at  once.     (Signed)  Tomasello." 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  171 

*'15  Oct.  1918  at  16:15  hours.  From  Maj.  Wainwright 
at  P.  C.  of  Gen.  Cronin  at  16  hours.  Eeport  received 
that  325th  Inf.  has  advanced  through  enemy  position  and 
was  at  that  time  at  Ravin  aux  Pierres,  326th  Inf.  on  the 
left.  Asked  by  Col.  Johnston  if  the  men  will  stay  in  the 
ravine,  Maj.  Wainwright  replied,  'They  are  attacking  now. 
Request  that  the  outfit  on  the  right  be  pushed  up  to  join 
them.'  '' 

'*15  Oct.  1918  at  16:20  hours.  To  164th  Inf.  Brig. 
From  Col.  Johnston.  Brigade  on  your  left  pushing  out 
of  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres.     Join  them.'' 

**15  Oct.  1918,  at  16:20  hours.  Telephone  message  from 
Lieut.  Carlisle,  Liaison  Officer  with  42nd  Division.  G-3 
of  42nd  Division  says  that  there  will  be  no  further  ad- 
vance this  afternoon.  Another  advance  to-morrow  morning. 
Orders  will  come  over  later." 

*'15  Oct.  1918,  at  16:20  hours.  Army  Artillery  reports 
that  the  army  observer  states  heavy  massing  of  artillery 
and  infantry  at  F-5383,  just  behind  woods  Bois  Banthe- 
ville.  Army  artillery  has  two  guns  reaching  it.  157th  F. 
A.  has  reported  this  to  air  service  for  bombing  work." 

**15  Oct.  1918  at  16:30  hours.  Anson-1  to  Albany-1. 
Maj.  Boyle,  328th  Inf.  at  15:30  hours  advised  that  325th 
Inf.  is  preparing  to  advance.  328th  can  not  advance  until 
166th  Inf.  advances.  166th  Inf.  is  waiting  on  165th  Inf., 
who  are  1000  meters  behind.  Maj.  Boyle  has  asked  for 
artillery  preparation  so  he  can  advance  when  166th  moves 
up." 

'*15  Oct.  1918  at  16:15  hours.  157th  F.  A,  Brig,  re- 
ports  that  Air  Service  notified  them  of  heavy  massing 
of  artillery  and  infantry  north  of  Bantheville  Woods,  at 
F-5383.     Only  two  army  guns  can  reach  them." 

''15  Oct.  1918,  at  19  hours'.  Col.  Johnston  with  G-3,  1st 
Corps.  G-3  inquired  as  to  possibility  of  using  troops  of 
82nd  Division  for  taking  Champigneulle.  Col.  Johnston 
replied   that   it   was   perfectly   possible   to   take    Cham- 


172  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

pigneulle  but  that  such  action  would  extend  the  front  of 
the  Division,  inasmuch  as  no  other  troops  are  moving  up  on 
either  flank.  In  other  words,  the  Division  now  holds  from 
about  86.2  northwest  to  about  parallel  87,  thence  swings 
southwest  to  the  north  slope  of  Cote  182  and  must  face 
the  Boche  on  this  entire  line.  The  right  brigade  has  only 
about  1000  men  and  the  left  brigade  about  2000.  We  are 
perfectly  capable  of  attacking  and  advancing  in  any  direc- 
tion on  a  front  proportionate  to  our  strength,  but  this 
extension  of  the  front  would  require  more  and  more  men 
which,  of  course,  must  be  supplied  from  the  rear  eche- 
lons. The  people  on  our  right  are  not  moving  at  all,  and 
the  hill  north  of  St.  Georges  is  of  course  exceedingly  im- 
portant, as  it  sweeps  the  plateau  on  which  we  are  located. 
The  P.  C.  of  our  right  brigade  is  at  the  same  place  as  the 
P.  C.  of  the  front  line  battalion  of  the  Division  on  our 
right.  It  does  not  seem  that  the  taking  of  Champigneulle 
would  relieve  this  situation  to  any  extent.  G-3  said  he 
would  inform  the  Division  what  w^ould  be  required." 

**1?  Oct.  1918  at  19:30  hours.  Received  wireless  mes- 
sage from  328th  Inf.  Holding  our  first  line  against  heavy 
artillery  fire  and  machine-gun  fire.  Repulsed  counter- 
attack on  left  flank  this  morning.  Our  troops  exhausted. 
Can  not  continue  advance." 

**15  Oct.  1918  at  20:30  hours.  Telephone  message 
from  Intelligence  Officer  of  325th  Inf.  Our  positions  to- 
night are  the  same  as  this  morning.  The  strength  of  the 
2nd  Bn.  is  about  800  men.  Two  bns.  went  forward  this 
afternoon  at  H  hour  and  found  in  the  ravine  German 
machine-gun  nests.  Only  one  company  (K  Co.)  was  able 
to  penetrate  through  the  ravine  and  this  company  went 
up  the  forward  slope.  7  prisoners  of  the  45th  Res.  Divi- 
sion and  10  machine  guns  were  captured.  The  latter  were 
turned  against  the  enemy  and  fired  into  them,  inflicting 
heavy  losses.  This  company  was  driven  back  to  this  side 
of  the  ravine  by  direct  fire  above  them.  A  few  men  of 
K  Co.  could  not  get  back  and  stuck  to  their  positions  and 
were  shot  down  fighting.  Stated  that  the  regt.  was  in  liai- 
son on  right  and  left.  Stated  there  was  less  air  activity 
to-day  than  yesterday.     Prisoners  who  had  been  used  as 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  173 

litter  bearers  are  now  being  sent  back  to  bdqrs.  Believe 
the  Germans  are  heavily  entrenched  in  the  ravine  and 
immediately  north  of  the  ravine." 

**15  Oct.  1918,  20  hours.  Report  of  examination  of  two 
prisoners  of  the  1st  Bn.  of  the  31st  Regt.,  15th  Bavarian 
Division.  Prisoners  were  captured  this  morning  at  8  hours 
in  the  course  of  an  enemy  counter-attack  about  700  yds. 
south  of  St.  Georges.  The  prisoners  were  put  in  line  with 
their  bn.  during  the  night,  reinforcing  the  30th  Res.  Regt., 
which  holds  the  sector  from  St.  Georges  to  a  point  ap- 
proximately 1  klm.  west.  Prisoners  stated  their  orders 
were  to  advance  and  take  the  position  held  by  our  troops 
on  Hill  206,  1  klm.  south  of  St.  Georges.  It  appears  that 
our  machine-gun  fire  was  so  effective  that  the  7th  Co.j^ 
already  reduced  in  strength  when  going  into  the  line,  13 
now  almost  annihilated.  Stated  that  their  average  strength 
of  companies  within  the  2nd  Bn.  was  as  low  as  30  to  40 
men,  the  regt.  having  suffered  greatly  in  recent  operations 
up  north.  They  had  not  received  replacements.  Prisoners 
stated  that  the  regt.  arrived  in  Buzancy  on  the  night  of 
Oct.  12th.  The  following  night  they  marched  south  and 
remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Imecourt  until  placed  in  line. 
They  stated  that  Brig.  Hdqrs.  was  at  Verpel,  and  Regt. 
Hqrs.  was  located  in  a  mill  southwest  of  Imecourt,  at 
99.4-10.3.  Further  stated  having  seen  elements  of  a  Prus- 
sion  division  in  this  vicinity  but  were  unable  to  give 
identification.  Our  artillery  fire  yesterday  and  to-day 
caused  heavy  casualties  in  their  bn.  The  positions  which 
they  occupied  immediately  south  of  St.  Georges  gave  little 
protection.  In  the  absence  of  trenches  they  were  com- 
pelled to  occupy  ditches  in  the  form  of  squares.  They 
stated  that  their  company  commander  several  days  ago 
read  Germany's  reply  to  President  Wilson's  message  and 
added  that  an  armistice  might  be  expected  to  follow  any 
day." 


CHAPTER  XVI 
DEEPENING  THE  SALIENT 

Another  dreary  wet  night  followed,  marked  by  heavy 
shell  fire  throughout  the  Divisional  Area.  At  23  hours, 
October,  15,  Field  Orders  No.  27  were  issued  from  Divi- 
sional Headquarters.  This  order  stated  that  the  1st  Army 
Corps  would  attack  at  6  hours,  October  16,  ^918.  It 
further  specified  that  the  42nd  Division  would  attack  on 
the  right  of  the  82nd  Division.  The  mission  assigned  the 
82nd  Division  was  to  support  the  attack  of  the  78th  Divi- 
sion by  protecting  that  unit's  right  flank.  The  Corp 
objectives  included  ChampigneuUe  and  Beffu  et  le  Mort- 
homme.  The  2nd  Battalion,  825th  Inf.,  was  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Commanding  General,  163rd  Brigade,  for 
the  purpose  of  capturing  ChampigneuUe.  The  164th  Bri- 
gade was  directed  to  conform  to  the  advance  of  the  163rd 
Brigade.  The  Bois  des  Loges  would  be  gassed  with  non- 
persistent  gases  throughout  the  night  until  5  hours, 
October  16.  A  special  paragraph  in  the  Field  Order 
warned  all  Commanders  against  the  practice  of  placing 
machine  guns  in  the  first  wave  of  assaulting  battalions. 
The  machine  guns  must  accompany  second  waves  and 
supports. 

327th  Infantry  Relieves  328th  Infantry 

During  the  night  of  October  15-16  the  327th  Infantry, 
consolidated  into  one  battalion  under  Lieutenant  Colonel 

174 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  175 

Burr,  relieved  the  328th  Infantry  on  the  right  flank  of 
the  Division  front.  At  6  hours  the  327th  Infantry  ad- 
vanced by  infiltration  about  two  or  three  hundred  meters. 
The  42nd  Division  made  no  advance  whatever,  and  the 
327th  Infantry  was  compelled  to  dig  in  with  its  right 
flank  faced  squarely  east  for  a  depth  of  one  kilometer 
back  to  the  42nd  Division.  This  effort  created  a  still  more 
serious  salient  and  the  right  flank  of  the  82nd  Division* 
was  exposed  to  strong  enfilade  fire  from  the  east,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  normal  resistance  from  the  north.  During  the 
day  the  enemy  attempted  to  penetrate  between  the  strong 
points  of  our  line,  creeping  close  enough  on  one  occasion 
to  use  hand  grenades  against  one  of  our  groups.  The 
enemy  artillery  continued  to  harass  our  troops  through- 
out the  day.  A  detachment  from  the  328th  Infantry  in 
support  was  ordered  forward  and  used  to  reinforce  the 
refused  right  flank. 

The  physical  condition  of  our  men  was  at  its  lowest  ebb 
on  this  day,  as  messages  from  many  units  testified. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Burr,  commanding  the^  327th  In- 
fantry, sent  the  following  message  to  Brigadier  General 
Lindsey  at  10  hours  50  minutes,  October  16: 

**I  again  call  to  your  attention  the  physical  condition 
of  the  men  of  my  command.  I  strongly  recommend  their 
relief  to-night.  To  men  in  their  condition,  the  weather 
conditions  of  last  night  were  very  trying.  They  will  be 
in  no  condition  to-morrow  morning  for  any  strenuous 
operation." 

The  328th  Infantry  at  this  time  was  reduced  by  all 
causes  to  one  or  two  officers  and  from  twenty  to  forty 
men  in  each  infantry  company.  The  328th  Infantry 
Machine  Gun  Company  on  October  16,  1918,  consisted  of 
twenty-seven  men  and  no  officers. 


176  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 


325th  Infantry  on  October  16,  1918 

The  attack  of  the  325th  Infantry  in  the  center  of  the 
Division  sector  was  made  by  the  3rd  Battalion  which 
passed  through  the  line  of  the  1st  Battalion  and  in  spite 
of  severe  machine-gun  resistance  pushed  K  and  L  Com- 
panies into  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres.  This  advance  of  our 
Infantry  was  supported  by  a  machine  gun  barrage  fired 
by  B  Company,  320th  Machine  Gun  Battalion.  The  right 
flank  of  the  325th  Infantry  could  not  advance  and  re- 
mained just  south  of  the  ravine  in  liaison  with  the  327th 
Infantry. 

The  following  message  was  received  by  Colonel  Whitman 
from  the  3rd  Battalion,  325th  Inf.,  at  9 :20  hours : 

*'Left  and  center  of  front  line  in  Ravin  aux  Pierres  at 
98.0-86.8  to  about  98.5-87.0.  The  right  of  our  line 'is 
just  south  of  the  ravine  held  up  by  M.  G.  from  right 
flank.  Troops  on  our  right  reported  not  advancing.  Our 
second  line  is  just  north  of  road  from  St.  Juvin  to  St. 
Georges.    Our  3rd  line  is  500  meters  further  to  rear. 

*' Melton." 

Later  in  the  day  a  heavy  fire  from  the  east  portion  of 
the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  aided  by  enemy  artillery  fire  from 
the  north  drove  our  men  out  of  the  ravine.  This  was 
the  second  day  on  which  we  had  obtained  a  foothold  in 
this  important  position.  On  each  day  the  survivors  of 
the  assault  had  been  compelled  to  evacuate  the  ravine  to 
avoid  annihilation. 

During  the  afternoon  the  following  message  was  sent 
by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Campbell,  325th  Inf.,  to  General 
Cronin : 

**16th  Oct.,  to  Austin-1.  Came  out  through  vicious 
barrage.    All  over  now.    M.  G.  fire  coming  over,  not  bad. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  177 

Varnado  killed.  Estimate  less  than  250  in  both  Battalions 
remaining  fit  for  duty.  Counter-attack  by  enemy  would 
be  bad.  Lines  as  stated  by  phone.  I  am  not  a  calamity 
howler,  but  the  officers  and  men  are  all  in.  Jones  in  good 
position  as  reserve  but,  of  course,  no  shelter  from  elements. 
Will  get  Melton  and  Castle  together  and  organize.  Will 
move  Jones  back  slightly  and  put  Melton  in  support  with 
his  Battalion — less  than  100.  Castle  with  1st  Battalion 
and  Cozine  to  hold  line  of  road  and  have  advanced  parties 
in  sheU  holes  in  front  200  yards.  I  am  starting  this  now, 
execution  of  same  to  be  mg^de  in  dark.    Campbell/' 

.  The  report  concerning  the  death  of  Captain  Varnado 
proved  later  to  be  incorrect,  but  forms  the  background 
for  one  of  the  most  amazing  incidents  in  the  history  of 
the  Division. 

During  the  withdrawal  of  the  325th  Infantry  from  the 
ravine  a  large  caliber,  high  explosive  shell  burst  within 
a  short  distance  of  this  officer.  The  force  of  the  ex- 
plosion tossed  him  in  the  air  and  dropped  him  in  a  limp 
heap  on  the  ground.  One  of  his  non-commissioned  officers 
ran  to  his  assistance  and  satisfied  himself  that  his  Com- 
pany Commander  was  dead.  For  five  days  Captain 
Varnado  lay  unconscious  in  this  ravine.  During  this 
period  a  cold  rain  fell  almost  constantly  and  the  ravine 
was  heavily  shelled  with  gas  and  high  explosives.  At 
intervals  a  machine-gun  barrage  was  poured  into  this 
area.  At  the  end  of  five  days,  on  October  21,  the  ravine 
was  again  taken  by  our  troops  and  Captain  Varnado  was 
found  unconscious  but  still  faintly  breathing.  There  were 
no  wounds  upon  his  body.  After  a  long  period  in  the 
hospital  he  recovered  full  possession  of  his  strength  and 
senses  and  returned  to  the  United  States  with  his  regiment 
after  the  War  was  over. 

In  addition  to  the  serious  physical  condition  of  the 
troops  there  had  been  a  grave  deterioration  in  the  con- 
dition of  all  weapons  during  the  many  days  of  exposure 


178  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

to  rain  and  mud.  The  Chauchat  rifles  had  nearly  all 
ceased  to  function. 

During  October  16  our  men  were  continuously  exposed 
to  the  observation  and  harassing  fire  of  enemy  aeroplanes 
which  flew  low  over  our  lines  with  little  interference  from 
the  American  Air  Service. 

The  effective  strength  of  the  325th  Infantry  the  night 
following  was  reported  as  follows: 

1st  Battalion 5  Officers,  175  Men 

2nd  Battalion 17  Officers,  361  Men 

3rd  Battalion 3  Officers,  120  Men 

When  the  2nd  Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  was  assigned  to 
a  special  mission  by  the  Divisional  Field  Order,  the  2nd 
Battalion  of  the  326th  Infantry  was  transferred  to  the 
command  of  Colonel  Whitman  and  during  the  night  of 
October  16  this  unit  relieved  the  1st  Battalion,  325th  In- 
fantry, in  the  front  line. 

326th  Infantry  on  October  16,  1918 

Meanwhile,  the  326th  Infantry  on  the  left  of  the  Divi- 
sion had  attacked  at  H  hour,  October  16,  with  the  1st 
Battalion  in  the  position  of  honor,  supported  by  Com- 
pany D,  320th  Machine  Gun  Battalion.  Elements  of 
Company  D  crossed  the  Agron  River  and  reached  the 
railway  cut  at  Champigneulle  extending  along  the  line  at 
96.2-86.65  to  96.5-86.8.  Company  C  had  passed  through 
Company  A  and  reached  a  position  on  the  hill  north  of 
the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  along  the  line  97.5-86.9  to  97.8-87.1. 
A  platoon  of  Company  D  covered  the  inter\^al  between  C 
and  D  Companies.  These  points  marked  the  line  of 
farthest  advance  reached  by  the  326th  Infantry  in  its 
operations.     Intense  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire  and 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  170 

the  isolated  nature  of  the  positions  forced  these  Companies 
to  withdraw  under  cover  of  darkness  on  the  night  of 
October  16.  Consequently,  night  found  the  front  Bat- 
talions of  the  Division  on  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road 
with  outposts  covering  the  ridge  north  of  the  Road. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  messages  contained  in  the 
Divisional  dossier  for  October  16,  1918: 

From  General  Cronin  to  Divisional  Headquarters,  7 
hours  35  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

*' Everything  started  off  on  time.  Extreme  left  Bat- 
talion had  to  be  somewhat  re-arranged  to  avoid  shell  fire. 
This  was  accomplished  before  starting.  Everything  going 
good. ' ' 

From  C.  O.  327th  Inf.  Gen.  Lindsey,  8  hours  5  minutes, 
16th  Oct.,  1918. 

''325th  Inf.  advancing;  166th  Inf.  is  not.  Am  advancing 
and  keep  in  touch  by  'phone.  Advancing  under  heavy 
machine-gun  fire.'* 

From  157th  F.  A.  Brigade,  8  hours  48  minutes,  16th 
Oct.,  1918. 

''321st  F.  A.  Reports  that  the  Infantry  line  has  been 
temporarily  checked  by  large  machine-gun  nests  98.6-87.3. 
There  are  both  trenches  and  woods  at  that  point.  Fire  is 
coming  from  these  woods  and  trenches  from  machine  guns 
and  infantry  requested  fire  of  one  battalion  for  15  minutes 
just  as  fast  as  it  could  be  put  into  them.  Infantry  was 
told  that  this  would  exhaust  our  ammunition  supply  but 
that  two  rounds  per  gun  per  minute  would  be  fired. 

"8  hours  50  minutes.  In  addition  machine-gun  nest 
located  98.3-87.5.  One  battalion  of  320  F.  A.  directed 
to  open  fire  on  this  nest  with  two  rounds  per  gun  per 
minute  for  15  minutes.  In  the  coordinates  there  is  a  tele- 
graph pole  at  the  base  of  which  it  is  reported  there  are 
ten  hostile  machine  guns." 


180  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

From  Lt.  Mitchell,  liaison  officer,  with  78th  Division,  9 
hours  20  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

*'78th  Division  reports  that  it  has  relieved  77th  Division. 
Reports  that  the  attack  as  ordered  went  off  in  good  shape, 
but  have  not  heard  as  yet  whether  any  advance  has  been 
made. ' ' 

From  Chief  of  Staff  42nd  Division  to  Chief  of  Staff 
82nd  Division,  9  hours  20  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

*^We  were  all  set  for  6  o'clock  this  morning  and  re- 
ceived orders  from  the  army  not  to  attack.  The  fighting 
has  been  very  severe  on  our  right.  Only  able  to  gain  one 
kilometer  yesterday.  Think  the  understanding  is  that  we 
are  to  advance  with  you.''  Col.  Johnston  asked  how  they 
can  say  they  are  v/aiting  to  advance  with  us  when  our 
line  is  facing  east  and  northeast  to  join  with  them.  *'This 
ties  down  our  right  flank.  We  are  now  attacking  on  the 
left.  Still  think  it  advisable  for  you  to  maneuver  by  the 
left  flank  and  take  St.  Georges  and  hill  north  of  it.  Col. 
Johnston  was  informed  that  42nd  Division  is  strietly  for- 
bidden to  use  any  artillery  or  make  any  attack." 

From  78th  Division,  9  hours  45  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

**We  are  moving  all  right  on  our  right  flank.  On  the 
left  Boche  is  still  in  Grand-Pre  and  Chevieres.  Prisoners 
taken  at  night  during  course  of  relief. 

''Col.  Johnston.  'Are  you  going  to  continue  to  go  on 
the  right?' 

"Answer.  'Yes,  we  are  pushing  hard  and  will  stick 
with  you.' 

"Extract  from  examination  of  23  prisoners  belonging 
to  45th  Reserve  Division.  Prisoners  were  captured  north- 
east of  St.  Juvin  in  and  near  Ravin  aux  Pierres,  state 
that  their  units  have  suffered  heavy  losses  in  the  fighting 
of  the  last  few  days.  Strength  of  companies  does  not 
exceed  40  men  each.  Enemy  has  no  organized  defensive 
position  in  the  rear.  The  Agron  River  can  be  forded  at 
and  above  ChampigneuUe  by  horse-drawn  vehicles  but  ow- 
ing to  its  great  distance  and  higher  banks  crossing  further 
south  can  only  be  effected  by  means  of  a  bridge.     The 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  181 

average  width  of  the  river  is  about  6  to  7  meters.  Some 
replacements  have  been  received  in  the  last  few  days  but 
in  small  numbers  only.  Prisoners  state  that  they  have 
been  told  to  hold  their  positions.  Companies  holding  ad- 
vanced positions  are  invariably  commanded  by  non-com- 
missioned officers.  This  policy  meets  with  considerable 
criticism  on  the  part  of  enlisted  men.  None  of  the  prison- 
ers know  when  their  organizations  are  to  be  relieved.  The 
45th  Reserve  Division  prior  to  its  arrival  in  this  sector 
was  engaged  in  the  Champagne  in  recent  fighting.  They 
state  that  their  units  have  suffered  heavily  from  our  artil- 
lery fire.  Several  men  were  very  outspoken  in  their  con- 
demnation of  the  present  German  Government. 

' '  An  examination  of  additional  prisoners  from  this  Divi- 
sion brought  out  the  statement  that  the  45th  Reserve  Divi- 
sion had  participated  in  the  counter-attack  by  the  enemy 
arranged  October  15th.  A  prisoner  from  the  212th  Re- 
serve Regiment  stated  that  his  regiment  had  received  300 
replacements  two  days  prior  to  the  attack.  Prisoner  from 
210th  Reserve  Regiment  stated  his  regiment  had  received 
120  replacements,  asserted  that  the  47th  Scharfschiitzen 
Abteilung  (machine  gun  unit)  was  holding  a  position  in 
rear  of  their  regiments  east  of  ChampigneuUe. ' ' 

Colonel  Johnson  to  G-3  1st  Corps,  11  hours  20  minutes, 
16th  Oct.,  1918. 

''How  about  using  the  42nd  Artillery  on  machine-gun 
nest?  We  are  getting  a  great  deal  of  direct  fire  from 
southwest  of  St.  Georges  00.87  on  the  road  to  St.  Juvin  from 
St.  Georges.    Some  artillery  fire  on  that  point  will  help.** 

''G-3  replied  that  he  would  have  it  done.'' 

11  hours  45  minutes,  Col.  Johnston  talking  with  Ad- 
jutant 325th  Infantry. 

"Asked  if  regiment  was  using  its  field  artillery. 

"Adjutant  replied  he  thought  so. 

"Colonel  Johnston  told  him  to  push  those  guns  and 
Stokes  Mortars  out  in  front  and  find  them  (the  enemy). 
Asked  if  anything  was  known  about  the  Division  on  our 
left.  Was  told  that  troops  of  78th  Div.  were  still  on 
Hill  182." 


182  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

From  Gen.  Lindsey  to  Col.  Johnston,  11  hours  25 
minutes,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

'^C.  0.  of  advanced  lines  in  support  of  166th  Inf.  has 
just  called.  He  was  informed  that  the  location  of  the 
right  flank  of  my  advanced  Battalion  is  on  the  St.  Georges- 
St.  Juvin  Road  about  00.1-87.1  with  Company  of  166th 
further  in  rear  and  in  liaison  with  left  flank.  My  ad- 
vanced line  seems  to  be  stuck  out  in  a  V  shape.  Have 
arranged  with  166th  to  echelon  forward  on  the  left  flank 
further  to  the  left  of  St.  Georges  and  in  succession  to 
the  east  taking  the  enemy  line  on  the  flank  so  as  to 
ease  in  the  166th  and  165th  Inf.  I  believe  that  similar 
action  by  325th  echeloning  forward  by  the  right  flank 
to  the  ridge  west  of  St.  Georges  will  enable  concentrated 
fire  to  be  brought  on  the  strong  Hill  in  vicinity  of  Hill 
230  at  00.4-88.3  and  on  Cote  253.'' 

From  Gen.  Lindsey, 

*' Reports  his  troops  in  a  V  shape  formation  apex  of 
the  V  being  at  00.1-87.1.  His  left  wing  extends  southwest 
parallel  to  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road  and  his  right 
wing  running  due  south  parallel  to  00.  He  says  that  the 
greatest  enemy  activity  is  coming  from  woods  on  Cote  230 
at  approximately  00.5-88.0  to  88.6. 


>> 


Col.  Johnston  to  Gen.  Cronin,  12  hours,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

*'Have  you  any  information  about  the  people  on  your 
left?" 

**They  are  on  the  east  and  northeast  slopes  of  Hill 
182." 

**Are  they  moving  forward?" 

*'They  are  on  Contour  180  on  northern  and  eastern 
slopes.  * ' 

''What  help  are  you  getting  from  the  artillery  this 
morning  ? ' ' 

*'Knowles  was  forced  to  fall  back,  due  to  shortage  of 
artillery  and  re-organize  in  the  ravine." 

'*Are  you  using  the  326th  Inf.  to  help  the  325th  Inf.?" 

*'They  are  fighting  together." 

**Do  you  feel  it  necessary  to  push  the  326th  down  in 
that  ravine?" 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  183 


((■ 


No.    They  won't  go  down  in  the  hollow  but  will  keep 
up  on  the  high  ground,  east  of  the  Agron  River." 

Col.  Johnston  to  Bonehead  3  (Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corps), 
12  hours  10  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

*'We  have  just  gotten  a  report  from  our  left  that  the 
Division  on  our  left  is  sticking  along  180  Contour  on  Cote 
182.  Our  line  about  an  hour  ago  was  in  the  ravine  fight- 
ing up  the  slopes  and  we  were  having  a  severe  fight  at 
98.7-87.4." 

Col.  Johnston  to  Gen.  Lindsey,  12  hours  18  minutes,  16 
Oct.,  1918. 

**It  is  reported  that  you  have  troops  east  of  the  00. 
meridian. '  * 

General  replied  he  had  some  at  00.1. 

Col.  Johnston  directed  him  to  move  his  troops  west  of 
the  00.  meridian  as  they  were  within  the  artillery  boundary 
of  the  42nd  Division,  which  was  preparing  to  shoot  there 
now. 

At  12  hours  22  minutes  Col.  Johnston  called  42nd  Divi- 
sion and  asked  them  to  stop  their  artillery  fire  west  of  St. 
Georges  reporting  back  immediately. 

Gen.  Duncan  to  Chief  of  Staff  1st  Corps,  12  hours  45 
minutes,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

**I  have  just  been  up  to  the  front  and  talked  with  the 
Regimental  and  Brigade  Commanders  and  looked  over  the 
situation.  Because  of  physical  fatigue,  I  don't  believe 
these  men  can  go  forward  any  more.  I  think  we  have 
got  to  hold  on  to  what  we  have  got.  The  325th  Inf.  got 
into  that  ravine  and  took  12  machine  guns  in  front  of 
them.  The  Hun  counter-attacked  and  we  lost  about  40 
men  in  hand  to  hand  fighting.  The  Huns  are  putting 
up  tremendous  resistance  and  our  men  have  come  to  the 
limit  of  their  endurance  and  I  don't  believe  that  they  are 
in  physical  condition  to  go  any  further.  We  have  got  to 
stabilize  on  present  line,  because  we  haven't  men  enough 
to  go  on.  This  is  the  10th  day  of  our  attack  and  the 
whole  front  is  covered  by  machine-gun  fire  from  Hill  230 


184  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

and  then  to  the  left.  The  men  of  this  Division  have 
behaved  splendidly  and  have  lost  heavily.  There  are  not 
fifty  men  to  a  Company  and  these  are  practically  at  the 
end  of  their  strength.  The  spirit  is  fine  but  to-day  they 
are  at  the  end  of  their  physical  endurance.'' 

From  163  Brigade,  12  hours  55  minutes,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

**Very  heavy  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire  prevents 
advance  of  our  left.  Our  artillery  seems  to  have  no  effect 
in  reducing  his  fire.  Same  condition  exists  on  our  right. 
Infiltration  across  Ravin  aux  Pierres  is  possible  to  some 
extent  but  so  far  without  enough  power  to  advance  line. 
Liaison  good  with  left  Division.  Losses  considerable.  Al- 
most all  my  outfit  tired  and  worn  out.'' 

To  Gen.  Lindsey  from  Col.  Johnston,  13  hours  10  min- 
utes, 16  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Albany  1  is  very  much  concerned  about  your  contact 
with  the  right  163rd  Brigade.  He  feels  that  perhaps  you 
have  got  too  far  to  the  east  and  wishes  to  re-establish 
contact. ' ' 

Gen.  Lindsey  replied  that  two  hours  ago  he  gave  an  order 
to  that  effect  and  had  no  doubt  that  it  had  been  complied 
with. 

To  Col.  Johnston  by  radio  from  Liaison  Officer  with  42nd 
Division,  13  hours  30  minutes,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

*'42nd  Division  not  advancing  until  further  orders." 

To  Col.  Schley  from  Col.  Johnston,  13  hours  40  minutes, 
1«  Oct.,  1918. 

**Are  your  engineer  Companies  where  they  can  be 
readily  assembled?" 

''No,  I  don't  think  so.    They  are  at  their  own  work." 

"What  would  be  the  most  convenient  place  for  concen- 
tration of  the  forward  Battalion!" 

"Fleville." 

**  Assemble  that  Battalion  at  Fleville  as  promptly  as  pos- 
sible and  notify  this  Headquarters  when  they  are  there." 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  185 

Gen.  Cronin  to  Col.  Johnston,  14  hours,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

**We  could  not  stand  in  the  Ravine  on  account  of  gas, 
but  we  are  on  the  south  slope  and  in  liaison  with  our  right 
and  left  and  we    can  stick.*' 

''Albany  1  directs  you  to  dig  in  for  the  day." 

Message  from  Gen.  Cronin,  14  hours  10  minutes,  16  Oct., 
1918. 

*'Boche  plane  has  just  been  flying  over  us  registering 
presumably  for  its  artillery.  Characteristic  feature  of  last 
two  days  has  been  the  freedom  with  which  Boche  planes 
have  been  flying  over  our  front  lines.  I  believe  this  ac- 
counts for  enemy's  very  effective  artillery  fire  and  the  in- 
ability of  our  batteries  to  be  effective  in  counter  battery 
work. ' ' 

Gen.  Duncan  immediately  ordered  Air  Service  to  go  out 
and  do  something  irrespective  of  weather  conditions. 

From  157th  Field  Artillery  Headquarters,  14  hours  55 
minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

"A  hostile  plane  was  brought  down  by  the  machine  gun 
fire  of  Battery  A,  320th  F.  A.,  at  14.25  hours  just  north- 
east of  Sommerance." 

From  Gen.  Lindsey,  15  hours  3  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

**Left  flank  of  327th  pushed  forward  and  joined  right 
flank  of  325th.  Both  had  to  drop  back  to  the  St.  Georges- 
St.  Juvin  on  account  of  machine  gun  fire  and  consolidated 
with  my  right  at  cemetery  and  left  at  99.3-86.6." 

From  Captain  Tomasello,  15  hours  40  minuetes,  16  Oct., 
1918. 

**  There  is  a  big  enemy  gun  working  on  the  south  and 
west  of  Sommerance  at  the  present  time.  This  gun  has  been 
in  action  for  the  past  3  days.  This  fact  has  been  reported 
numerous  times.  Request  that  Air  Service  locate  this  Bat- 
tery and  report  to  Army  artillery  for  counter  battery." 


186  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Memorandum  by  Captain  Dunlap,  15  hours  55  minutes, 
16  Oct.,  1918. 

''General  Cronin  requests  that  15  Chauchat  rifles  to- 
gether with  carriers  and  ammunition  be  supplied  to  his 
Brigade  to-night.'' 

From  Division  0.  P.  at  16  hours,  16  Oct.,  1918. 

*' Enemy  shelling  Champigneulle  with  shrapnel.  A 
number  of  men  standing  on  the  road  on  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  town.  Visibility  very  poor.  Road  running  northeast 
from  St.  Juvin  being  shelled.  Friendly  troops  seen  on  the 
south  edge  of  Bois  des  Loges.  Boche  shelling  railroad 
yards  west  of  St.  Juvin.  Ravine  east  of  Champigneulle  is 
filled  with  smoke  and  haze.  Visibility  so  poor  that  enemy 
cannot  see  our  troops.    Bois  des  Loges  is  full  of  Boche." 

By  radio  from  Liaison  Officer  with  42nd  Division,  16 
hours  35  minutes,  I6th  Oct.,  1918. 

''Both  flanks  of  42nd  Division  advancing  slowly." 

Advance  notice  by  telephone  of  1st  Corps  Order,  16 
hours  45  minutes,  16th  Oct.,  1918. 

"The  Corps  Commander  directs  that  arrangements  be 
made  within  the  Division  for  the  utilization  of  not  to 
exceed  one  Battalion  in  each  Regiment  in  line  for  the  day's 
work.  The  support  and  reserve  battalion  should  be  utilized 
only  in  case  of  great  emergency  and  returned  to  their  po- 
sitions when  the  emergency  ceases.  Support  battalion  to 
be  used  in  front  line  on  succeeding  days.  Send  front  line 
battalion  to  reserve.  This  will  enable  the  Army  com- 
mander to  count  upon  constant  use  of  Division  for  one 
month  or  more.  The  Corps  Commander  desires  that  this 
arrangement  be  put  into  effect  in  the  82nd  Division  at 
once. ' ' 

Message  from  Chief  of  Air  Service,  16  hours  50  minutes, 
16  Oct.,  1918. 

"I  would  like  to  have  flares  displayed  from  now  till  dark, 
or  a  white  rocket  to  be  fired  about  every  3  minutes;  or 
gasoline  burned  on  the  ground." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

CHAIVIPIGNEULLE  AND  EXTENSION  OF  LEFT 
FLANK 

The  remaining  messages  in  the  Divisional  dossier  for 
October  16,  1918,  are  concerned  with  a  confusing  situa- 
tion which  arose  on  our  left  flank  with  the  78th  Divi- 
sion. Our  Divisional  Headquarters  was  informed  that 
troops  from  the  78th  Division  had  entered  the  Bois  des 
Loges  and  penetrated  to  the  northern  edge  of  the  woods. 
It  was  further  claimed  that  the  309th  Infantry  (78th 
Div.),  on  our  immediate  left,  had  entered  the  town  of 
Champigneulle.  Both  General  Duncan  and  Colonel  John- 
ston doubted  that  the  Bois  des  Loges  had  been  penetrated 
to  its  northern  edge.  Nevertheless,  it  was  at  once  agreed 
that  if  such  proved  to  be  the  fact  the  left  flank  of  the 
82nd  Division  would  be  pushed  forward  to  connect  with 
such  advance.  Our  liaison  detachment  reported  meanwhile 
that  the  right  of  the  78th  Division  had  not  advanced. 

General  Cronin,  however,  was  directed  to  push  elements 
directly  north  toward  Champigneulle  with  a  reservation 
that  if  Champigneulle  proved  to  be  strongly  held  by  the 
enemy,  General  Cronin  would  not  commit  himself  to  a  seri- 
ous attack.  These  directions  were  dictated  by  the  consid- 
eration that  if  Champigneulle  was  found  strongly  held, 
it  was  positive  evidence  that  the  enemy  had  not  been  ex- 
pelled from  the  Bois  des  Loges. 

Possession  of  the  Bois  des  Loges  by  either  side,  entirely 
controlled  Champigneulle  and  the  Agron  Valley. 

187 


188  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Division  Field  Order  No.  28  issued  at  22  hours,  Oct.  16, 
1918,  contained  the  following  brief  directions  for  the  con- 
templated operation  on  the  following  day; 

a.  ^'The  163rd  Brigade  will  support  and  protect  the 

right  flank  of  the  78th  Division  by  advancing  its 
left  to  the  ridge  due  east  of  ChampigneuUe. 

b.  **  164th  Brigade  will  hold  present  front. 

c.  "Artillery  support,  no  change  in  plan. 

d.  "Machine  gun,  no  change. 

Paragraph  one  stated  that  the  attack  would  be  continued 
at  6  hours  30  minutes,  October  17. 

At  "H'^  hour,  a  detachment  from  Major  Hawkins's  Bat- 
talion endeavored  to  advance  from  Hill  182  and  met  at 
once  with  intense  enemy  fire  from  ChampigneuUe.  This 
checked  for  the  time  any  further  advance  by  our  left  flank 
in  accordance  with  instructions  already  given  to  General 
Cronin. 

Later  in  the  morning,  however,  a  determined  effort  was 
made  by  the  2nd  Battalion,  325th  Infantry  (Major  Haw- 
kins) to  advance  north  from  Hill  182  up  the  Agron  Valley. 
This  attack  advanced  for  about  500  meters  when  it  was 
halted  with  heavy  losses  by  concentrated  machine  gun  and 
artillery  fire. 

As  the  right  flank  of  the  78th  Division  did  not  advance 
during  the  day  the  82nd  Division  remained  stabilized.  This 
was  in  compliance  with  the  Corps  Order  which  defined 
the  mission  of  the  82nd  Division  to  be  the  support  of  the 
right  flank  of  the  78th  Division. 

The  orders  which  Major  Hawkins  received  from  General 
Cronin  prior  to  the  attack  just  described  were  as  follows : 

From  Austin-1,  to :  C.  O.  2nd  Battalion,  325th  Inf.  16th 
Oct. 

"You  will  advance  with  your  battalion  and  establish 
a  line  from  ChampigneuUe  exclusive  to  points  97.3-87.4 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  189 

South  East  to  98.0-86.3  connecting  on  your  right  with 
first  battalion  326th  Inf.  The  principal  left  position  will 
be  in  the  Hollow  97.3-87.3  and  other  positions  in  the 
Ravine  will  be  taken  along  the  Western  slopes  between  the 
mouth  of  the  Ravine  South  East  to  the  end  of  your  line.^ 

"You  will  advance  on«  company  at  a  time  at  long  dis- 
tances keeping  pace  with  the  78th  Division  on  our  left. 
Your  movement  is  designed  to  protect  right  flank  of  the 
78th  from  the  east  side  of  the  valley  of  the  Agron.  You 
will  not  advance  to  your  Northern  limit  unless  protected 
from  counter  attack  from  Champigneulle  either  because 
ChampigneuUe  is  in  American  hands  or  the  ground  pre- 
yents  counter  attack  from  that  direction." 

By  command  Gen.  Cronin. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  messages  contained  in  the 
Division  dossier  for  October  17: 

From  Lt.  Hare,  163  Brigade,  at  13  hours  30  minutes. 

**The  Battalion  commander  of  the  right  battalion  of  the 
78th  Division  reported  to  the  163rd  Brigade  that  Hill  182 
forms  a  salient  on  the  front  as  the  78th  Division  has  fallen 
back  to  the  St.  Juvin-Grande-Pre  Road. 

''15  hours  15  minutes  Oct.  17th,  from  Lt.  Fravier,  317th 
Heavy  Artillery  (French).  Reports  that  at  15  hours  Oct. 
16th  the  P.  C.  of  the  317th  French  Heavy  Artillery  wa^ 
blown  up  by  an  explosion  of  a  German  ammunition  dump. 
The  P.  C.  was  at  97.7-78.6.  There  was  also  an  explosion 
of  a  German  ammunition  dump  at  about  10:45  hours  this 
morning.  Delayed  fuses  were  found  by  the  French  officers 
in  dug  out  near  by,  indicating  that  the  dumps  had  been 
exploded  by  this  means.  In  a  great  many  dumps  in  La 
Chene  Tondu,  delayed  action  fuses  were  found.  In  a  dug 
out  on  the  Chene  Tondu  a  small  thermometer  was  found 
which  was  so  designed  as  to  explode  a  mine  when  the 
mercury  reached  a  particular  height.  If  a  fire  had  been 
built  in  the  dug  out  the  mercury  would  have  risen  and  the 
explosion  followed. ' ' 

From  310th  Infantry  at  15  hours  35  minutes. 
"Germans  are  massed  across  the  road  between  Cham- 


190  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION 

pigneuile  and  Bois  des  Loges.     78tli  and  82nd  Artillery 
to  be  notified." 

From  78th  Division  15  hours  40  minutes  17th  Oct. 

*' Germans  are  massed  across  the  road  at  point  96.65- 
S7.80  between  Champigneulle  and  Bois  des  Loges.  Artil- 
lery requested  at  95.4-87.7  to  95.9-87.7.*' 

*'16  hours  17  minutes  from  Chief  of  Staff,  78th  Division. 
Artillery  fire  scattered  the  Huns." 

From  Col.  Montgomery  G-3  1st  Corps  to  Maj.  Wain- 
wright,  16  hours  15  minutes,  17th  Oct. 

' '  The  following  boundaries  between  82nd  and  78th  Divi- 
sion will  be  established  at  5  hours,  18th  Oct. 

Chatel  Chehery  to  78th 

Marcq  to  82nd 

Champigneulle  to  82nd 

Resille  Farm  to  78th 

78th  Division  is  charged  with  carrying  out  the  relief 
made  necessary  by  this  change  of  boundary. 

H  hour  is  6:30  hours." 

20  hours  45  minutes  17  Oct.  Col.  Johnston-Col.  Herron, 
78th  Div. 

*'Col.  Herron  reports  78th  Div.  holds  the  entire  Southern 
edge  of  Bois  des  Loges.  Their  troops  have  penetrated  and 
to-night  intend  to  mop  the  entire  woods  to  the  Northern 
edge  and  there  leave  light  holding  detachments,  withdraw 
the  main  body  in  the  main  body  of  the  woods  preparatory 
to  an  attack  in  a  westerly  direction.  It  seems  they  have 
never  been  able  to  secure  Grand-Pre,  still  heavy  fighting 
in  that  town  and  strong  forces  North  of  it.  The  French 
were  driven  out  of  Talma  this  morning  by  a  heavy  counter- 
attack. 

* '  Col.  Johnston  asked  in  what  way  the  82nd  Div.  can  best 
support  their  flank  and  whether  he  considered  it  sufficient 
if  we  remain  in  contact  and  move  forward  if  their  right 
does.  Col.  Herron  replied  *yes,  entirely  so.'  Asked  if  they 
expected  to  stabilize  their  right  flank  to-morrow,  Col.  Her- 
ron replied  that  as  far  as  he  could  see  now  it  will 
probably   remain  in  place,   depending  on  events  in  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  191 

"West.  Col.  Johnston  asked  how  he  could  best  assist  them 
with  fire,  and  was  told  to  fire  on  Champigneulle  and  to 
the  south  and  west  slopes  of  the  Agron  Eiver.  Col. 
Johnston  said  he  was  asking  particularly  about  this  to 
make  certain  to  avoid  complications  like  yesterday  after- 
noon when  2  of  the  78th  Division  interior  battalions  ad- 
vanced much  further  than  their  troops  on  the  extreme 
right  flank  with  whom  we  were  in  liaison.  Col.  Herron 
answered  he  understood  that  perfectly  and  that  it  would  be 
entirely  satisfactory  if  we  maintain  contact  with  their  right 
flank." 

During  the  17th  of  October  the  regiments  of  the  Divi- 
sion carried  on  considerable  patrolling  in  the  face  of  direct 
machine  gun  fire.  Other  than  this  there  were  no  offensive 
activities. 

The  orders  issued  by  General  Duncan  for  a  schedule  of 
relief  throughout  the  regiments  bore  immediate  results.  In 
consequence  of  this  order  the  following  Field  Order  was 
issued  by  General  Lindsey  in  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade : 

**  Howsoever  great  the  necessity,  the  indications  are  that 
there  will  be  no  immediate  relief.  All  officers  must,  there- 
fore, exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  toward  reorganizing 
their  commands.  Conditions  are  never  so  bad  but  what 
they  can  be  hopefully  improved  by  rejuvenated  effort. 
"The  basis  of  relief  schedule  will  be  as  follows: 
"The  327th  Inf.,  the  328th  Inf.  and  a  combination  of  300 
men  and  proper  proportion  of  officers  taken  from  both  regi- 
ments, forming  three  commands  for  the  advance,  support 
and  reserve.  Reliefs  will  be  effected  late  in  the  afternoon 
before  dark,  if  possible,  every  day  without  further  orders; 
reserve  to  support,  support  to  advance,  advance  to  reserve 
in  the  usual  rotating  manner.  The  328th  Inf.  will  occupy 
the  advance  this  afternoon,  the  combination  the  support 
and  the  327th  Inf.  to  the  reserve.  The  C.  0.  328th  Inf. 
will  designate  an  officer  to  command  the  combination.  The 
strength  of  the  three  commands  will  be  kept  about  equal. 
Both  regimental  commanders  will  remain  at  Sommerance 
and  by  frequent  consultation  effectively  prosecute  the  above 
plan. 


192  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

**  Fruitful  results  will  accrue  from  energetic  efforts  to- 
wards securing  places  in  reserve  where  men  returning  from 
the  front  can  be  dried  out,  warmed  up,  fed  up,  slept  up 
and  re-clothed  and  re-equipped. 

"Salvaging  parties  will  be  immediately  organized  by- 
troops  in  reserve  to  gather  up  arms  and  equipment  and 
establish  a  dump.  Other  parties  must  be  set  to  work  clean- 
ing and  assorting  arms  and  equipment,  other  parties  to 
cleaning  out  places  where  fires  can  be  built  and  straw  beds 
made.  Billets  should  be  carefully  classified  and  numbered 
to  facilitate  occupation  after  dark.  The  C.  0.  328th  Inf. 
is  charged  with  the  duty  of  immediately  beginning  work 
along  the  lines  set  forth.  The  greatest  mistake  that  can 
be  made  is  to  let  officers  and  men  remain  idle  expecting 
relief.  As  soon  as  such  a  sort  of  resting  place  is  started, 
improvement  in  the  morale  of  the  men  will  be  immediately 
noticed. 

''An  inspection  of  the  reserve  lines  shows  that  the  men 
were  not  properly  caring  for  their  rifles,  automatic  rifles 
and  machine  guns.  This  condition  was  much  improved  in 
a  brief  hour  by  attention  being  called  to  the  matter. 

'*C.  0.  321  M.  G.  Bn.  will  assign  his  companies  and 
arrange  for  their  relief  and  rest  according  to  the  general 
plan  above.'' 

82nd  Division  Field  Order  No.  29  was  published  at  20 
hours,  October  17,  1918,  and  provided  for  a  continuation 
of  the  offensive  at  6  hours  30  minutes  on  October  18,  1918. 
The  mission  assigned  the  82nd  Division  was  again  that  of 
supporting  and  protecting  the  right  flank  of  the  78th 
Division. 

While  the  east  boundary  of  our  zone  of  action  was  un- 
changed the  west  boundary  prescribed  the  change  indicated 
by  the  message  from  the  1st  Corps  received  during  the 
afternoon  of  October  17.  The  Commanding  General  of  the 
163rd  Brigade  was  directed  to  relieve,  with  one  battalion 
and  one  machine  gun  company,  the  309th  Infantry  in  the 
area  between  the  present  left  boundary  of  the  82nd  Divi- 
sion  and  the   new  boundary   marked   by   a  line   drawn 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  193 

through  Marcq  (inclusive)  -Champigneulle  (inclusive  -Re- 
sille  Farm  (exclusive). 

The  Commanding  Officer  of  the  Battalion  from  the  82nd 
Division  making  this  relief  was  directed  to  report  upon 
receipt  of  this  order  to  the  Commanding  Officer,  309th  Inf., 
at  the  latter 's  P.  C.  at  the  east  entrance  of  St.  Juvin  on 
the  St.  Juvin-Fleville  Road,  and  arrange  necessary  details. 
The  order  required  that  relief  be  completed  by  5  hours, 
October  18. 

A  change  was  also  made  in  the  boundary  between  the 
two  Infantry  Brigades  of  the  82nd  Division.  This  change 
resulted  in  extending  the  front  of  the  164th  Infantry  Bri- 
gade about  one  kilometer  further  to  the  west.  The  Com- 
manding General  of  this  Brigade  wa«  directed  to  make  the 
necessary  disposition  in  the  new  area  assigned  him  before 
5  hours,  October  18. 

In  compliance  with  the  change  of  boundary  between  the 
Brigades,  G  Company,  328th  Infantry  (Captain  Danforth), 
moved  to  the  west  and  covered  the  additional  front  neces- 
sary to  connect  with  the  163rd  Brigade,  which  had  also 
swung  a  similar  distance  to  the  left,  where  the  2nd  Bat- 
talion, 326th  Infantry,  shifted  over,  relieving  the  1st  Bat- 
talion, 326th  Infantiy. 

The  relief  of  the  309th  Infantry,  78th  Division,  was  ac- 
complished by  the  2nd  Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  within 
the  time  set  by  Division  Orders.  It  is  interesting,  however, 
to  read  the  report  on  this  relief  submitted  by  Lieutenant 
Mitchell,  Liaison  Officer,  with  the  78th  Division. 

**0n  night  of  October  17th,  I  was  called  by  'phone  and 
told  to  report  to  Division  Headquarters  and  about  half  an 
hour  later,  I  reported  to  Col.  Wainwright. 

''The  Corps  orders  of  that  day  had  caused  a  change  in 
our  west  boundary,  necessitating  the  relief  of  troops  of  the 
309th  Infantry,  78th  Division,  in  their  present  sector  and 
placing  our  troops  in  positions  as  held  by  the  309th  Infan- 
try in  the  space  referred  to. 


194  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

''My  mission  was  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoiteriug  the 
positions  we  were  to  hold  and  to  find  out  from  the  C.  G. 
163rd  Brigade  which  Eegiment  was  to  supply  the  Bat- 
talion that  it  would  take  to  make  the  relief.  I  first  went 
to  Brigade  Headquarters  and  had  to  wait  for  their  order 
to  be  made  before  going  to  Regimental  P.  C.  's  of  the  325th 
and  326th  Infantry.  With  an  officer  of  Brigade  Head- 
quarters I  arrived  at  326th  P.  C.  's  at  about  1 :30  a.m.  I 
explained  to  the  Regimental  C.  0.  the  purpose  of  my  mis- 
sion and  he  in  reading  the  Brigade  order  found  it  so  com- 
plicated in  its  wording  that  it  was  hard  for  them  to 
understand  for  some  time  just  what  was  to  be  done.  It 
took  some  time  to  decide  and  I  finally  said  that  the  ques- 
tion most  important  now  was  to  locate  just  the  Battalion 
that  was  to  go  into  this  position  I  was  to  locate,  and  so  the 
Battalion  Commander  could  be  making  his  arrangements 
as  it  was  then  getting  late.  The  Battalion  was  then  located 
in  the  Brigade  order  and  the  C.  O.  326th  gave  orders  for 
Major  Hawkins  to  report  to  him  at  once.  After  the  Major 
had  read  his  orders  and  had  studied  the  positions  we  were 
to  occupy,  Major  Hawkins  and  myself  then  left  to  go 
where  his  troops  were  in  camp,  where  he  gave  instructions 
to  his  Adjutant  to  have  the  Companies  moving  so  as  to 
reach  St.  Juvin  fifteen'  minutes  apart ;  first  company  to 
arrive  at  about  3:45  a.m.  With  three  of  his  regimental 
runners  we  started  out  to  locate  309th  P.  C.  We  were 
unable  to  locate  it,  so  we  decided  to  go  to  front  lines  and 
get  some  Company  Commander  to  direct  us  to  it  and  doing 
so  we  ran  across  Battalion  headquarters,  it  being  really  the 
place  we  wanted.  We  made  our  mission  known  to  the  Bat- 
talion Commander  of  the  309th  Infantry  and  he  had  no 
instructions  about  being  relieved.  He  had  just  finished 
making  a  relief  of  another  Battalion.  He  phoned  his  regi- 
mental C.  O.  and  the  latter  had  received  no  instructions 
but  told  the  Battalion  Commander  to  go  ahead  since  we 
had  the  change  in  boundary  and  he  gave  instructions  where 
to  take  the  Battalion  after  it  was  relieved.  We  then  ar- 
ranged for  runners  to  go  down  the  road,  each  runner  to 
meet  a  certain  company,  the  runners  taking  these  com- 
panies to  positions  as  occupied  by  the  companies  being 
relieved. 

''First  troops  arrived  at  about  4:00  o'clock.     Between 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISIOl  195 

4:00  and  5:00  o'clock  two  companies  of  Infantry  and  one 
Machine  Gun  Company  were  relieving  the  Battalion  of 
309.  The  other  two  companies  were  said  to  be  in  the 
town  at  5:00  o'clock,  but  in  some  way  the  runners  lost 
them  and  I  think  it  must  have  been  6 :00  to  possibly  7 :00 
o'clock  before  the  relief  was  complete. 

**  Having  the  place  located  and  most  of  the  Battalion 
relieved,  I  asked  Major  Hawkins  if  I  could  do  anything 
else  to  help  him  in  the  relief.  He  told  me  that  he  would 
not  need  me  any  longer,  so  I  left  to  go  to  the  P.  C.  of 
309th  Infantry,  being  directed  by  runner.  I  talked  to  Col. 
Morgan  and  explained  that  the  boundary  had  been  changed 
by  Corps ;  that  this  necessitated  our  putting  in  a  Battalion 
to  cover  the  additional  ground  it  gave  us.  He  stated  that 
he  had  never  been  informed  about  a  relief  or  change  of 
boundary  and  I  took  my  map  and  gave  them  the  new 
boundary  line  as  I  had  gotten  it  from  my  Division  Head- 
quarters. I  also  told  him  in  the  order  I  had  noticed 
that  the  78th  Division  was  to  attack  at  6 :30  a.m.  and  our 
Division  was  to  support  the  attack.  I  thought  it  strange 
that  he  did  not  know  of  his  Division  attacking  at  this 
hour,  as  I  had  seen  the  Corps  order  myself.  I  left  at  6 :10, 
came  back  by  Brigade  Headquarters,  dropped  a  note  to 
Major  Parker  telling  him  the  relief  was  well  on  its  way 
when  I  left  and  also  stopped  by  our  Division  Headquarters 
and  dropped  a  note  to  Col.  Wainwri^rht  telling  him  the 
relief  was  well  on  its  way,  and  was  back  at  my  station 
at  78th  Di\dsion  Headquarters  at  8 :00  a.m. 

''I  talked  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  78th  Division  later 
in  the  day  and  told  him  that  the  C.  0.  309th  did  not  know 
the  78th  Division  wa.«  to  attack.  I  was  informed  that  the 
right  Brigade  had  been  ordered  not  to  attack  but  would 
hold,  covering  their  front  with  strong  patrols." 

The  2nd  Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  was  still  under  the 
orders  of  the  Commanding  Officer  of  the  326th  Infantry. 
The  elements  of  this  Battalion  were  disposed  as  follows: 

Company  G-  (Lieutenant  Bettes)  in  position  at  96.0-86.5. 
This  Company  maintained  liaison  with  the  309th  Infantry 
in  the  edge  of  the  Bois  des  Loges  by  means  of  one  platoon 
in  the  woods  on  the  right  flank  of  that  battalion. 


196  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Company  H  (Lieutenant  Martin)  held  Hill  182  at 
97.0-86.2. 

Company  E  (Captain  Fraser)  held  the  east  slope  of  the 
Hill  and  the  St.  Georges  Road  leaving  from  St.  Jnvin. 

Company  F  (Captain  Fournoy)  was  in  support  on  the 
St.  Georges  Road  in  St.  Juvin. 

Following  are  a  few  messages  from  the  Divisional  dos- 
sier for  October  18,  1918 : 

From  Lt.  Carlisle,  Liaison  Officer  with  the  42nd  Division, 
at  8  hours  30  minutes,  18th  Oct.  1918. 

*'The  42nd  Division  will  not  advance  to-day.  The  83rd 
Brigade  are  sending  out  patrols.  The  patrols  which  were 
sent  out  last  night  have  returned.  Report  that  they  could 
get  no  further.    No  information  obtained.'* 

From  163rd  Brigade  10  hours,  18  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Enemy  planes  flying  low  under  1000  foot  level. 

**Col.  Johnston  replied  that  he  got  in  direct  touch  with 
the  pursuit  service  some  time  ago  and  was  informed  that 
they  were  taking  the  air  at  once. ' ' 

Col.  Johnston  to  Wide-wing,  13  hours  45  minutes,  18 
Oct.,  1918. 

**We  have  just  received  a  message  from  the  front  line 
that  Boche  planes  are  still  flying  very  low  over  our  sup- 
port lines  and  directing  the  artillery  fire. 

''Wide- wing  replied  that  the  Air  service  Liaison  Officer 
was  at  Divisional  Headquarters  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
care  of  such  matters. 

**Col.  Johnston  replied  that  this  Liaison  Officer  states 
that  he  is  merely  representing  the  Observation  end  of  the 
Service  and  reports  to  the  Corps,  who  in  turn  report 
somewhere  else. 

''Col.  Johnston  asked  if  there  was  any  objection  to  the 
Commanding  General  of  the  82nd  Division  reporting  direct 
to  them. 

"No  definite  reply  was  elicited.'* 

Major  Lee  (G-2),  from  Sommerance. 

"Reports  that  at  13:45  hours  two  enemy  planes  were 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  197 

over  the  front  line  battalion  directing  Boche  artillery  fire 
and  causing  us  heavy  losses.  They  had  been  over  our 
lines  since  8  hours  this  morning.  Two  of  our  planes  showed 
up  early  this  morning,  stayed  for  about  half  hour  and 
have  not  been  seen  since. 

''Keports  quite  a  few  Boche  seen  above  the  Ravin  anx 
Pierres  and  some  enemy  seen  in  the  ravine  to  the  north- 
east." 

From  Major  Lee,  G-2,  328th  Infantry  Headquarters,  16 
hours  40  minutes,  18th  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Regimental  Adjutant  wants  me  to  report  to  you  that 
a  German  plane  fell  in  flames  in  the  area  of  Mr.  Boyle's 
Battalion.  It  was  a  Fokker  and  the  pilot  escaped  in  a 
parachute.  Pilot  is  now  at  328th  Infantry  Headquarters. 
He  says  he  was  operating  a  plane  pursuing  an  American 
bombing  plane.  He  was  brought  down  by  American  planes 
that  came  up  and  took  him  by  surprise.  He  said  also 
that  another  German  plane  was  brought  down  in  front  of 
the  Division  on  our  right. '  * 

Later  Message  from  Major  Lee. 

*'I  have  been  out  to  the  lines  and  have  found  two  planes 
there.  One  of  them  is  at  99.5-86.2.  That  one  landed  out 
of  control  and  is  in  fair  condition  with  one  blade  of  the 
propeller  broken  and  the  landing  gear  smashed  up.  There 
are  no  papers  nor  marks  of  identification.  Out  of  that 
plane  was  taken  one  pilot,  who  is  badly  injured  and  is  being 
evacuated  to-night.  This  plane  was  a  single-seater.  The 
other  plane  crashed  in  flames  at  about  99.9-86.2.  This 
was  the  plane  from  which  the  pilot  landed  with  a  parar 
chute.    The  parachute  fell  further  to  the  west.'* 

Message  dropped  from  aeroplane,  19  hours  10  minutes, 
18  Oct.,  1918. 

** Artillery  of  enemy  growing  more  active  after  16:45 
hours.  Darkness  setting  in  now.  The  air  was  full  of 
hostile  machines.  From  15 :30  hours  to  16 :30  hours  there 
were  30  Boche  pursuit  planes  over  our  sector.  There  was 
one  formation  of  14  planes  and  three  formations  of  5  each. 
They  were  pursuit  planes  painted  a  bright  red  all  over." 


198  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

No  Field  Orders  were  issued  by  the  Division  until  tlie 
night  of  October  20.  Our  troops  continued  to  hold  their 
line  and  carried  on  the  usual  aggressive  patrolling.  The 
78th  on  our  left  continued  to  struggle  with  the  extraor- 
dinary difficulties  presented  by  the  Bois  des  Loges.  Two 
battalion  messages  indicated  the  situation. 

From  Lieutenant  Mitchell,  Liaison  Officer  with  78th 
Division,  19th  Oct.,  1918. 

**At  9:30  hours  o09th  Infantry  reports  troops  in  grove 
in  Bois  des  Loges.  Are  being  troubled  by  machine-gun  fire 
from  hostile  aeroplanes. 

''At  11:15  309th  Infantry.  Things  going  well,  casual- 
ties high.  Liaison  with  326th  Infantry  on  the  right  and 
310th  Infantry  on  the  left.     One  pounder  crew  gassed.'* 

From  163rd  Infantry  Brigade,  14  hours  30  minutes, 
19th  Oct.,  1918. 

"Major  Hawkins  just  had  a  runner  from  the  309th 
Infantry  stating  their  location  as  about  100  yards  inside 
the  edge  of  the  woods.  They  are  reorganizing  and  feel 
confident  to  hold.  Enemy  near.  Fire  from  machine  guns 
and  snipers  heavy.'' 

An  indication  of  the  growing  desperation  of  our  enemy 
at  this  time  is  found  in  the  following  propaganda  ad- 
dressed to  German  troops  and  intercepted  by  our  wireless 
on  October  19,  1918. 

"At  its  reconstruction,  the  economic  life  of  Germany 
must  find  the  world  open;  no  measures  should  withhold 
from  us  raw  materials  and  bar  to  us  markets.  We  are 
ready  to  support  any  government  striving  for  a  peace  on 
such  a  basis.  Arrangement  and  rebuilding  of  our  national 
life  are  the  issues  on  the  program  of  the  Christian  national 
workers'  movement. 

"You  fighters  at  the  front,  our  hopes  on  the  successful 
issue  of  an  uncompromising  peace  depend  upon  your 
heroic  spirit.    "We  remember  your  noble  deeds  on  the  battle- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  199 

field.  We  thank  you  for  having  spared  our  motherland 
the  woes  of  devastation.  At  this  fateful  hour  it  is  more 
urgent  than  ever  to  hold  up  the  live  wall  which  you  have 
built  for  the  past  four  years  in  order  that  the  enemy  may 
not  trespass  the  holy  ground  of  our  fatherland.  You  will 
not,  at  this  last  hour,  allow  the  dreadful  horrors  of  war 
to  visit  our  country  and  homes. 

"You  at  home,  for  years  you  have  borne  the  greatest 
privations  and  sacrifices  for  our  sacred  cause.  More  than 
ever,  it  is  now  necessary  to  do  our  duty  and  with  re- 
doubled strength,  to  stand  up  for  the  achievements  of  an 
honorable  peace. 

"The  Committee  of  the  German  Workingmen's 
Congress.'' 

On  October  19  Colonel  Ely  rejoined  the  327th  Infantry 
and  on  October  20th,  1918,  Colonel  McArthur,  command- 
ing the  326th  Infantry,  was  evacuated  to  a  rest  hospital. 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Burr  was  transferred  to  command  the 
326th  Infantry.  On  October  20  the  2nd  Battalion,  325th 
Inf.,  was  returned  to  its  own  regiment  and  the  2nd  Bat- 
talion, 326th  Inf.,  in  turn  passed  out  of  the  command  of 
Colonel  Whitman.  Reliefs  were  arranged  within  the  regi- 
ments and  the  usual  patrolling  continued.  Our  front  lines, 
however,  did  not  advance. 

A  few  messages  follow  from  the  Division  dossier. 

From  Chief  of  Staff  78th  Division  to  Chief  of  Staff 
82nd  Division,  2  hours,  20th  Oct.,  1918. 

"We  are  pulling  back  our  line.  We  will  hold  the  general 
line,  St.  Juvin-Grand-Pre  Road.  This  change  will  be  made 
before  daybreak.'* 

From  Major  Hawkins,  2nd  Bn.,  325th  Inf.,  17  hours, 
20  Oct.,  1918. 

"Colonel  Morgan  commanding  the  309th  Infantry  has 
been  fully  informed  of  the  position  of  the  2nd  Bat- 
talion, 325th  Inf.^  since  the  first  morning  we  moved  next 


200  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82wd  DIVISION 

his  right  flank.  Company  G,  325th  Infantry,  has  main- 
tained actual  contact  with  the  right  of  the  309th  line  in 
the  Bois  de  Loges  since  10  hours,  18th  Oct.,  1918. 
Colonel  Morgan  has  expressed  himself  in  the  presence  of 
Colonel  McArthur  and  Major  Hawkins  as  satisfied  with 
the  liaison  and  out-post  protection  afforded  his  right  flank 
by  this  Division.  Colonel  Morgan  has  been  asked  by  the 
Battalion  Commander  if  he  wished  one  or  more  companies 
of  this  Battalion  to  reinforce  Company  G  on  his  immediate 
flank,  but  stated  that  he  thought  it  unnecessary .' ' 

Ravin  aux  Pierres  Taken  for  the  Last  Time 

82nd  Division  Field  Order  No.  30  issued  at  21  hours, 
October  20,  1918,  stated  that  the  1st  Army  Corps  would 
continue  to  improve  its  position  for  a  general  advance 
by  local  operations  on  October  21.  The  order  further 
provided : 

''The  82nd  ^Division  will  develop  the  enemy's  main  line 
of  resistance  by  pushing  out  strong  exploitation  detach- 
ments on  its  front  and  will  seize  and  hold  any  advan- 
tageous ground  from  which  the  enemy  may  be  driven  or 
may  withdraw.  Infantry  Brigade  Commanders  are  charged 
with  carrying  out  local  operations  on  their  own  fronts  as 
prescribed  but  will  not  involve  themselves  in  a  serious 
operation  or  bring  on  a  general  attack." 

As  a  result  of  this  order  a  strong  patrol  from  the  164th 
Infantry  Brigade  pushed  up  to  the  woods  at  about  99.0- 
87.1,  while  troops  from  the  163rd  Brigade  seized  the  slope 
north  of  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres.  This  third  attempt  to 
secure  this  formidable  ravine  proved  to  be  a  final  and 
successful  effort.  The  enemy  never  afterwards  succeeded 
in  retaking  this  ground. 

A  report  to  Division  Commander  from  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Cronin  gives  the  story  of  this  operation. 

*'The  operation  of  this  Brigade  to-day  resulted  in  estab- 
lishing its  front  line  north  of  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  on 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  201 

the  line  97.5-86.8  to  98.4-87.15.  This  line  is  held  by  both 
regiments;  60  men  of  the  326th  Infantry  on  the  left,  and 
the  1st  Battalion  325th  Infantry  (something  less  than  200 
men),  on  the  right;  the  whole  under  command  of  Captain 
Castle,  325th  Infantry.  At  dark  two  machine  guns  were 
to  be  carried  across  the  ravine  to  the  vicinity  of  the  in- 
fantry line,  the  rest  of  the  company,  six  guns,  to  be  just 
south  of  the  ravine.  The  whole  constitutes  to-night  the 
first  line  of  the  325th  Infantry.  The  line  is  in  contact 
with  the  164th  Brigade  on  its  right,  who  joined  us  this 
afternoon.  The  2nd  line,  325th  Infantry,  is  along  the 
St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  Road,  and  is  the  same  as  last  night's 
first  line.  Last  night's  2nd  line  has  disappeared,  as  I 
passed  it  through  the  first  line  to-day  to  make  the  front 
line  to-night.  The  3rd  line  last  night  remains  the  3rd 
line  to-night  and  is  on  the  slopes  on  a  general  line  97.7- 
85.7  to  98.4-85.5.  One  platoon  is  detached  to-night  from 
the  3rd  line  to  occupy  the  right  end  of  the  vacated  2nd 
line,  with  orders  to  keep  out  small  liaison  patrols  between 
the  right  flanks  of  both  the  2nd  and  3rd  lines. 

**The  line  of  the  326th  Infantry  remains  the  same  as 
last  night,  except  the  60  men  of  the  2nd  line  sent  forward 
along  the  east  side  of  the  valley,  whose  meridian  is  97.3, 
with  orders  to  infiltrate  into  the  ravine  from  the  west. 

''Little  enemy  infantry  was  noticed,  but  exposure 
brought  on  heavy  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire,  but  not 
to  the  same  extent  as  yesterday.  The  Commanding  Officers 
of  both  regiments,  and  Machine-Gun  Battalion,  carried 
out  very  carefully  my  instructions  given  from  time  to  time 
during  the  day.  Progress  was  made  by  persistent  infiltra- 
tion aided  by  Machine  Gun  and  occasional  artillery. 

''While  the  line  is  well  advanced,  and  forms  a  salient, 
it  has  been  carefully  prepared  for  resistance  during  the 
night." 

Another  very  human  account  of  this  small  operation  is 
contained  in  a  report  made  by  Lieutenant  Ulmer  of  Com- 
pany A,  325th  Inf.,  one  of  the  units  involved : 

"The  company  had  one  Officer  and  40  men  left  of  an 
original  strength  of  4  officers  and  220  men.  These  40 
men  were  practically  dead  from  exhaustion  and  sickness. 


202  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

When  the  company  reached  its  objective,  there  were  but 
11  men  left ;  the  others  having  succumbed  to  fatigue.  The 
spirit  was  willing  but  the  flesh  was  weak.  After  reaching 
the  high  ground  north  of  Eavin  aux  Pierres  the  Battalion 
commander  was  notified  and  the  rest  of  the  Battalion 
brought  up.  A  new  line  was  consolidated  and  wired,  and 
nothing  further  of  interest  occurred,  except  the  system 
of  regular  two-day  reliefs.'' 

This  exploitation  operation  was  protected  by  machine- 
gun  fire  and  artillery  fire  of  twelve  guns,  commencing  at 
5 :30  on  the  north  slope  of  the  ravine.  This  fire  was  raised 
at  6  hours  and  continued  until  7.  Both  flanks  of  the  Com- 
pany were  covered  by  patrols. 

The  situation  as  reported  at  4  p.m.,  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Campbell  is  shown  by  his  message  to  Colonel  "Whitman: 

*'Oct.  21st. 

**I  gave  D  Company  back  to  Castle  at  his  request. 
Thones  all  out,  please  try  to  get  them  in.  Everything 
lovely  so  far.  Pretty  heavy  shelling.  Will  stick  around 
for  an  hour  or  so  and  mosey  back.  Castle  is  driving  this 
thing  in  good  style.  M.  G.  positions  being  reconnoitered 
and  I  think  everything  O.  K.  if  326th  will  look  out  for 
left.*' 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
A  THIN  LINE'S  POINT  OF  HONOR 

After  October  21, 1918,  our  front  lines  did  not  advance. 
In  the  week  that  followed  until  November  1,  1918,  the 
American  army  was  devoting  its  energy  to  a  preparation 
for  the  final  drive  which  was  to  determine  ^ective  enemy 
resistance  in  front  of  the  American  army.  A  tremendous 
concentration  of  artillery  of  all  calibers  took  place  on  a 
depth  of  many  kilometers  behind  our  front  line.  Great 
quantities  of  ammunition  were  carried  up  and  dumped 
in  forward  locations.  Partially  rested  American  Divisions 
poured  into  the  back  areas  ready  to  relieve  the  exhausted 
remnants  of  the  Divisions  which  had  borne  the  brunt  of 
furious  continued  fighting  in  the  past  days  and  weeks 
since  the  great  offensive  began.  During  this  period  of 
preparation  the  front-line  Divisions  continued  to  exist  in 
cold  mud  and  water-soaked  fox  holes,  always  subjected  to 
harrassing  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire.  The  support 
and  the  reserve  lines  were  subjected  to  the  same  degree  of 
artillery  fire  as  was  suffered  by  the  first  line.  The  reliefs 
also  were  accomplished  under  very  trying  and  dangerous 
conditions. 

The  dossier  of  the  82nd  Division  contains  many  refer- 
ences to  the  conditions  under  which  our  men  existed.  It 
indicates  that  a  number  of  advances  were  contemplated 
if  the  neighboring  divisions  succeeded  in  getting  forward. 
The  salient  in  which  the  82nd  Division  was  placed  made 

203 


204  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

it  prohibitive  to  advance  until  adjoining  units  succeeded 
in  getting  fully  abreast  of  our  position  in  the  Ravin  aux 
Pierres.  Attacks  were  ordered  for  both  October  22  and 
October  23  in  both  the  42nd  Division  and  the  78th  Divi- 
sion but  on  neither  day  did  either  Division  succeed  in 
coming  abreast  of  our  most  advanced  elements.  Conse- 
quently the  82nd  Division  remained  in  place. 

Extracts  from  the  Division  dossier : 

*'From  Alto  1  (326th  Infantry)  at  10  hours  30  minutes, 
22nd  Oct.,  1918.    7  Boche  planes  over  our  front  lines." 

C.  0.  327th  Inf.  to  C.  G.  164th  Inf.  Brigade,  11:10 
hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

*'My  surgeon  just  now  reported  that  at  least  90  per  cent 
of  men  suffering  from  diarrhoea  and  exhaustion.  He  ex- 
presses the  opinion  that  great  majority  unable  physically 
to  endure  an  advance  much  less  make  attack.  All  other 
information  confirms  this.  In  my  opinion  grave  conse- 
quences would  follow  any  use  made  of  this  regiment  as 
now  contemplated  and  believe  entire  Brigade  equally  out 
of  condition.  I  feel  that  these  facts  should  be  clearly 
made  known." 

From  Lieutenant  Mitchell,  Liaison  Officer  with  78th 
Division,  11:45  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Patrols  from  310th  Infantry  during  the  night  encoun- 
tered very  strong  machine-gun  fire  from  enemy  at  the 
south  edge  of  Bois  des  Loges." 

Air  message:  '* Dropped  propaganda  in  the  region  of 
Yerpel.  2000  copies  of  President  Wilson's  and  Germany's 
messages.     Dropped  candy  and  cigars  to  Americans." 

From  C.  G.  164th  Infantry  Brigade  to  C.  0.  327th  In- 
fantry, 12  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

'*  Referring  to  report  of  your  surgeon  this  morning  on 
physical  condition  of  your  men,  the  Division  Commander 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  205 

informed  me  during  a  visit  this  morning  that  the  Division 
will  probably  remain  in  the  line  for  quite  a  while  yet. 
It  is  therefore  imperative  that  every  attempt  be  made  to 
build  up  the  physical  condition  of  the  officers  and  men. 
Many  things  can  yet  be  done  in  addition  to  those  originating 
at  Brigade  Headquarters  to  improve  the  officers  and  men. 
Officers  and  men  should  be  evacuated  only  when  abso- 
lutely necessary.  Your  report  will,  of  course,  be  forwarded 
to  Division  Headquarters.'^ 

From  164th  Brigade  at  12:30  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Recommend  that  Private  Alfred  R.  Simpson,  Company 
D,  321st  Machine-Gun  Battalion  be  decorated  for  extraor- 
dinary valiant  conduct  in  manning  and  operating  alone  a 
hostile  machine  gun  and  successfully  covering  a  withdrawal 
of  a  portion  of  his  command.  This  at  a  time  when  he 
constituted  the  only  fighting  element  between  his  organ- 
ization and  the  enemy.  Immediate  and  all  intermediate 
Commanders  approve.'' 

From  Lieutenant- Colonel  Wainwright  at  163rd  Brigade 
Headquarters,  14  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Engineer  companies  in  reserve  have  an  effective 
strength  of  about  125  men.  Recommend  that  2  companies 
be  placed  at  disposal  of  General  Cronin  for  dugouts  or 
else  that  one  company  from  this  Battalion  be  used  together 
with  a  company  now  working  on  roads." 

General  Duncan  directed  Lieutenant- Colonel  Wainwright 
to  carry  out  his  recommendations. 

From  164th  Infantry  Brigade  by  request  of  Colonel 
Johnston,  14  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Recommend  that  2nd  Lieutenant  Francis  H.  Mason 
be  decorated  for  unusual  bravery  in  refusing  to  be  evac- 
uated though  wounded  while  in  command  of  patrol  on 
dangerous  mission  and  subject  to  heavy  machine-gun  fire. 
This  on  battlefield  in  front  of  Sommerance,  October  21, 
1918.  All  immediate  and  intermediate  Commanders  have 
approved." 


206  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

From  Division  0.  P.  at  14:50  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

*'At  13:30  hours  Boehe  shelling  railroad  west  of  St. 
Juvin. 

''At  13:35  hours  Boche  shelling  Marcq  and  the  ridge. 

''At  14:20  hours  heavy  shelling  on  St.  Juvin  which  still 
continues.    Heavy  barrage  to  the  left  of  the  78th  Division. " 

From  Captain  Patton  at  Division  0.  P.  at  16:30  hours, 
22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

"3  German  planes  flying  very  low  shooting  at  the 
ground  where  engineers  were  at  work  on  barb  wire  on  top 
of  the  ridge  %  of  a  kilometer  southwest  of  Marcq.  They 
were  run  off  by  American  planes.'* 

Colonel  Johnston  to  Captain  Webster,  164th  Brigade, 
16 :55  hours,  22nd  Oct.,  1918. 

''General  Duncan  has  approved  recommendation  of 
General  Cronin  that  the  relief  be  effected  every  other  night 
instead  of  each  night  as  at  present.  This  for  the  informa- 
tion of  General  Lindsey  and  applies  to  him  also  if  he  so 
desires." 

From  325th  Infantry,  11 :20  hours,  23rd  Oct.,  1918. 

"9  enemy  planes  over  our  lines  at  11:15  hours.  6 
planes  were  painted  red.  One  of  our  men  in  St.  Juvin 
found  a  can  of  apricots  marked  'For  the  Belgian  Relief.' 
This  evidently  has  been  left  by  Germans  on  their  retreat." 

From  Lieutenant  Mitchell  with  78th  Division,  14:30 
hours,  23rd  Oct.,  1918. 

"Airplane  reports  78th  Division  troops  on  the  ridge 
north  of  Farm  de  Talma  and  have  taken  Grand-Pre. 
Troops  are  now  north  of  Grand-Pre  at  92.0-87.0,  ap- 
proximately. ' ' 

Colonel  Johnston  to  163rd  and  164th  Brigades,  15 
hours,  23rd  Oct.,  1918. 

**  Report  from  hospital  indicates  that  patients,  sick  and 
wounded,    bring    practically    no    equipment    with    them. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  207 

Please  have  this  checked  up  right  away  and  see  that  all 
equipment  goes  back  with  the  patients,  so  they  can  be  re- 
equipped  when  they  come  out.  We  are  getting  short  of 
equipment  and  a  lot  is  disappearing.'' 

^'7  hours,  24  Oct.,  1918.  325th  Inf.  and  326th  Inf., 
both  report  heavy  gas  (phosgene)  shelling." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Wainwright  to  Brigade  Commanders 
at  16:30  hours,  24th  Oct.,  1918. 

''Instructions  for  to-day  as  per  Field  Order  No.  33  will 
apply  for  to-morrow.    No  order  will  be  issued  to-night." 

From  Lieutenant  Mitchell  with  78th  Division,  20;10 
hours,  24th  Oct.,  1918. 

''Memo,  from  General  Craig,  Chief  of  Staff,  1st  Corp, 
to  C.  G.  78th  Division  states  that  the  Division  has  used 
entirely  too  much  ammunition  for  their  preparation  for 
attack  in  proportion  to  successes  gained.  This  complaint 
comes  from  Army  Headquarters." 


TRANSLATION  OF  EXTRACTS  OF  LETTERS 
FOUND  ON  DEAD  GERMANS  GATHERED  BY 
A  PRISONER  BELONGING  TO  THE  30th  BAY. 
RES.  REGT.,  15th  BAY.  RES.  DIY.,  CAPTURED 
WEST  OF  ST.  GEORGES,  OCTOBER  23,  1918. 
LETTERS  WERE  DATED  OCTOBER  23  AND 
WERE  WRITTEN  BY  NON-COMMISSIONED  OF- 
FICERS OF  THE  30th  BAY.  RES.  REGT. 

"I  will  write  you  a  few  more  lines  to-day — ^this  time 
from  the  position  which  we  now  occupy.  Following  my 
return  from  K I  immediately  rejoined  my  organiza- 
tion and  was  placed  in  charge  of  two  companies.  Now, 
however,  an  officer  is  here  who  has  been  placed  in  com- 
mand. The  word  'Position'  (Stellung)  is  really  not  the 
proper    expression    for    same    and   the    line    we    occupy 


208  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

might  be  more  appropriately  named  a  'Squatting  Place' 
(Sitzung).  During  the  entire  day  we  are  compelled,  on 
account  of  enemy  fire,  to  remain  in  holes  we  ourselves  have 
dug,  protected  only  by  shelter  halves,  waiting  for  night- 
fall when  we  at  least  can  move  around  a  bit.  If  the  oc- 
cupation of  our  line  became  known  to  the  enemy  artillery 
there  would  be  nothing  left  to  do,  owing  to  the  absence 
of  dugouts,  but  to  pack  up  one's  belongings  and  pull  out. 
Last  night  the  Americans  drove  us  out  with  their  nre  so 
that,  for  better  or  for  worse,  we  had  to  dig  in  in  a  new 
position. 

"According  to  rumors  we  are  to  be  relieved  within  the 
next  few  days.'' 

Extract  from  letter  by  a  Corporal  belonging  to  the  12th 
Company  of  the  30th  Bav.  Regt.,  dated  October  23rd: 

**0f  the  40  men  and  4  officers  who  manned  our  position 
when  we  went  into  line,  but  4  men  remain.  I  have  been 
placed  in  command,  there  being  no  officers  left." 

Translation  of  German  document  issued  at  Headquarters 
of  the  5th  Army.  The  document  was  among  the  letters 
extracts  of  which  are  given  above: 

*^ German  Soldiers! 
*' Beware! 

"The  word  'Armistice'  passes  through  trenches  and 
camps. 


cc 


EVENTS  HAVE  NOT  YET  REACHED  THIS  STAGE ! 


'*The  word  is  taken  by  some  as  a  certainty  and  by  others 
even  as  the  long-hoped-for  peace.  This  fellow  or  the  other 
fellow  believes  that  matters  no  longer  depend  on  him  and 
relaxes  his  watchfulness,  courage,  endurance,  and  distrust 
of  the  enemy. 

''Events  Have  Not  Yet  Reached  this  Stage! 
"An  armistice  has  not  yet  been  concluded. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  209 


"The  War  Is  Still  on  Just  AS  it  Always  has  Been  I 

*'At  this  very  moment  you  must  be  watchful,  staunchly 
persevering !  At  this  very  moment  you  are  on  the  enemy's 
soil,  the  rampart  of  the  Fatherland. 

"At  this  grave  hour  the  Fatherland  sees  in  you  its  sal- 
vation and  its  hope. 

*' Headquarters  of  the  5th  Army." 


From  C.  0.  3rd  Battalion,  325th  Inf.,  7  hours,  25tli 
Oct.,  1918. 

"Patrol  along  left  front  last  night  fired  on  as  it  crossed 
trail  97.5-86.8.  Enemy  machine  gun  dominated  ridge  in 
front  of  our  position.  Seem  to  be  located  on  northern  slope 
of  ravine.  Enemy  patrol  of  about  30  ran  into  one  of  our 
positions  and  was  driven  off.  We  had  one  man  slightly 
wounded  by  grenade.  Boche  were  seen  to  drag  two 
wounded  away  with  them.    This  happened  about  4  hours." 

From  Division  0.  P.  on  the  right  at  16:20  hours,  25th 
Oct.,  1918. 

"2  of  our  planes  driven  back  across  our  lines  by 
machine  gun  fire  coming  from  the  northeast  edge  of  Bois 
des  Loges,  also  from  the  trenches  southeast  of  Cham- 
pigneulle." 

Colonel  Montgomery,  G-3  1st  Coi-ps  to  Colonel  John- 
ston, 11 :15  hours,  26th  Oct.,  1918. 

"All  movements  and  reliefs  directed  by  Field  Order 
No.  86  are  suspended  for  24  hours." 

Colonel  Montgomery  to  Colonel  Johnston,  11:40  hours, 
26th  Oct.,  1918. 

"You  will  replace  the  77th  Division  and  take  their 
present  camp.  Furnish  the  same  garrison  for  the  occu- 
pation of  the  security  position  and  continue  the  work  they 
are  now  engaged  on." 


210  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 


Colcmel  Johnston.  *'In  other  words  we  take  that  letter 
you  wrote  the  77th  and  follow  it." 

Colonel  Montgomery.  "Yes.  The  77th  are  in  Camp 
Bouzon  and  the  Chene  Tondu." 

From  Division  0.  P.  on  the  left  at  15:40  hours,  26th 
Oct.,  1918. 

'^7  Boche  planes  over  our  front  lines  but  driven  back 
by  our  anti-aircraft  fire." 

To  C.  G.  163rd  Brigade  from  C.  0.  325th  Inf.,  26th 
Oct.,  1918. 

''The  C.  0. 1st  Battalion  reported  at  16 :10  hours  2  planes 
firing  with  Machine  Guns  on  his  position  along  St.  Juvin- 
St.  Georges  road.  These  planes  were  clearly  marked  with 
U.  S.  insignia  and  were  numbered  2  and  17.  At  16:15 
hours  similar  report  was  received  from  C.  O.  3rd  Bat- 
talion that  same  2  planes  fired  on  his  front  line  in  position 
north  of  Ravin  aux  Pierres.  From  observation  point  near 
Regimental  P.  C.  these  planes  were  seen  firing  tracer 
bullets.  The  planes  were  later  seen  retiring  in  a  southerly 
direction.  Request  prompt  investigation  and  proper 
action. ' ' 

From  164th  Brigade  by  courier,  9:35  hours,  27th  Oct., 
1918. 

"Telephone  shot  out.  In  front  of  our  left  flank  Boche 
were  heard  driving  stakes  and  stringing  wire  through  the 
night.  This  was  about  300  yards  in  advance  of  99.75-86.30. 
Artillery  scattered  fire  over  entire  front  during  night. 
Sommerance  shelled  and  gassed  all  night.  Heavy  shelling 
and  sneezing  gas  from  4:20  hours  to  5:30  hours  this 
morning. ' ' 

To  C.  G.  82nd  Division  from  St.  Disier,  Oct.  28,  1918. 

"1800  replacements  are  on  route  for  your  Division. 
They  should  arrive  at  Auzeville  at  1  o'clock  Oct.  28th. 
At  present  they  are  in  two  trains,  one  train  has  1500  men 
and  the  other  300  men." 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  211 

From  Lieutenant  Mitchell  with  78th  Division,  11  hours, 
28th  Oct.,  1918. 

** Berlin  announces  the  resignation  of  Ludendorff  which 
has  been  accepted  by  the  Kaiser." 

From  Division  0.  P.  on  the  left  at  9:05  hours,  29th 
Oct.,  1918. 

*' Shelling  in  the  vaUey  south  of  St.  Juvin.  Aeroplane 
fight  in  air,  about  five  machines  engaged.    Visibility  poor.'' 

Messages  dropped  from  aeroplane  10 :50  hours,  29th  Oct., 
1918.     To  G-2  82nd  Division. 

Time  of  departure  9:10  hours,  time  of  return  10:40 
hours,  mission  reconnaissance. 

*' Covered  St.  Georges-Grand-Pre.  Pilot  Lieutenant 
Smith,  Observer  Lieutenant  Wright,  Squadron  12,  alti- 
tude 1000  meters.  Boche  patrol  of  nine  planes  over 
Verpel  at  9:50  and  another  patrol  of  five  planes  over 
Verpel  at  10:20.  One  Allied  plane  probably  hit  by  anti- 
aircraft artillery.  Seen  to  crash  just  west  of  ChampigneuUe 
at  10  o'clock.  Dropped  2000  sheets  of  propaganda  just 
north  of  Bois  des  Loges  over  Beifu  et  Morthomme  at  10 :15." 

From  78th  Division  15:20  hours,  29th  Oct.,  1918,  to 
1st  Corps. 

*'A  Boche  plane  fell  about  100  yards  in  front  of  78th's 
front  line  just  north  of  Mareq." 

From  Captain  Dunlap  at  Fleville  at  19:40  hours,  29th 
Oct.,  1918. 

*' First  truck  of  replacements  arrived  in  Fleville  17:50 
hours  and  last  truck  of  replacements  arrived  at  18:35. 
Hospital  replacements  arrived  at  19  hours;  all  now  on 
way  to  organizations." 

Note.  Between  5000  and  6000  replacements  from  several 
replacement  divisions  were  sent  to  the  82nd  Division  dur- 


212  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

ing  the  last  week  of  October,  1918.  These  men  were  placed 
in  camps  around  the  Headquarters  of  our  rear  echelon  south 
of  Clermont.  Many  of  these  soldiers  were  recent  recruits 
from  the  United  States  and  had  not  received  more  than 
two  or  three  weeks'  training.  Fortunately  the  Division 
was  relieved  before  it  became  necessary  to  attack  with  this 
untrained  material. 

From  Lieutenant  Mitchell  with  78th  Division,  10  hours, 
30th  Oct.,  1918. 

''Streamer  message  taken  from  enemy  aeroplane  that 
fell  to-day  in  front  of  our  lines  contained  names  of 
American  and  French  aviators  captured  or  killed.  Con- 
tained names  of  eleven  French  aviators  and  two  American 
aviators.  Stated  that  information  as  to  eighteen  German 
aviators  would  be  appreciated." 

The  following  message  from  Lieutenant  Stynes  was  in 
the  streamer  container: 

*'Can  you  store  my  baggage  in  University  Club,  Paris? 
1000  francs  I  loaned  mess  in  the  Farmers  Loan  and  Trust 
Company.  All  very  well  with  me.  Morriss  was  killed  in 
action. ' ' 

At  11  hours,  October  30,  1918,  Division  Field  Order 
No.  34  announced  the  long-delayed  relief. 

''The  82nd  Division  less  the  157th  Artillery  Brigade 
and  Ammunition  Train  will  be  relieved  in  its  present 
sector  by  the  77th  and  80th  on  the  night  of  the  30th-31st 
October. 

"The  outpost  screen  of  the  82nd  Division  consisting  of 
the  2nd  Battalion,  326th  Infantry;  3rd  Battalion,  325th 
Infantry  and  the  328th  Infantry  (less  detachment  com- 
bined with  the  327th  Infantry)  will  remain  in  place  and 
will  be  relieved  at  24  hours  on  'D'  minus  one  day  by  Com- 
manding Generals  77th  and  80th  Divisions." 

The  part  of  the  Division  relieved  on  the  night  of  the 
30-31st  October,  1918,  was  directed  to  move  back  a  short 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  213 

distance  to  the  Corps  line  of  resistance.  This  force  con- 
sisted of  one  regiment,  163rd  Infantry  Brigade,  one  bat- 
talion, 307th  Engineers,  the  319th  Machine  Gun  Battalion 
and  Company  C,  320th  Machine  Gun  Battalion.  The  re- 
maining elements  were  directed  to  assemble  in  the  vicinity 
of  Apremont  and  Champ  Mahaut. 

The  outpost  screen  was  not  required  by  orders  of  the 
Corps  or  Army  but  was  furnished  in  compliance  with 
orders  of  the  Division  Commander  in  his  final  Field  Order, 
October  30th. 

*'It  will  be  considered  a  point  of  honor  to  the  front 
line  battalions  of  the  82nd  Division  left  in  the  sector  to 
prevent  the  entrance  of  hostile  patrols,  thus  keeping  from 
the  enemy  the  fact  that  fresh  troops  are  being  assembled 
in  the  rear." 

It  therefore  stands  to  the  credit  of  these  troops  that 
for  twenty-four  hours  before  the  attack  by  the  new  Divi- 
sion on  November  1,  1918,  our  men  securely  held  nearly 
five  kilometers  of  front  and  prevented  the  enemy  from 
learning  that  a  great  drive  was  impending. 

The  outpost  screen  was  relieved  before  daylight,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1918.  As  the  troops  moved  south  through  Fleville 
and  Cornay  they  heard  the  roar  of  the  tremendous  bar- 
rage striking  north  of  the  Kremhilde-Stellung  and  those 
ridges  where  so  much  blood  had  been  given  to  win  a  foot- 
hold. The  Division  was  conscious  that  its  efforts  during 
the  October  battles  had  helped  drive  the  enemy  into  open 
country  where  fresh  Divisions  of  fellow- Americans  could 
more  easily  complete  the  task. 

Casualties  in  Meuse-Argonne  Offensive 

Enlisted 
Officers    Personnel 

Killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds 37  865 

Known   Prisoners    7  178 

Missing     0  25 

Wounded,  including  "Gassed"   171  4726 

Total     215  5794 


CHAPTER  XIX 
AFTER  THE  FIGHTING 

{Contributed  by  Lieut.  Colonel  George  E.  Roosevelt.) 

The  night  of  October  31-November  1,  the  82nd  Division, 
on  being  relieved  by  the  80th  Division,  moved  back  in 
the  Argonne  Forest,  with  Division  Headquarters  at  Champ 
Mahaut,  and  the  following  day,  November  2nd,  the  Divi- 
sion continued  south.  Headquarters  moving  to  Florent. 
After  remaining  there  one  day,  the  Division  began  a 
movement  to  the  Vaucouleurs  area.  The  motor  transport 
moved  by  Les  Islettes,  Clermont,  Fleury,  St.  Dizier,  Com- 
mercy  and  Void.  The  infantry  proceeded  by  bus.  The 
animal-drawn  transportation  started  on  November  4  under 
the  Commander  of  Trains,  and  reached  Vaucouleurs  after 
staging  four  times — at  Autrecourt,  Chaumont-sur-Aire, 
Koeurs-la-Grande  and  Neuville.  Beginning  November  10, 
the  Division  again  moved,  this  time  by  marching,  to  the 
Bourmont  area,  each  brigade  making  the  march  in  three 
days.  The  stay  at  Bourmont  was  as  short  as  at  Vau- 
couleurs, for  on  November  16,  the  Division  was  again  on 
the  march,  this  time  for  the  Tenth  Training  Area,  with 
Division  Headquarters  at  Prauthoy.  The  march  was  made 
with  three  stages,  and  by  the  19th  of  November,  the  Divi- 
sion, less  artillery  and  ammunition  train,  was  billeted  in 
the  towns  around  Prauthoy,  where  it  was  to  remain  for 
the  winter.  The  Prauthoy  area  had  been  used  in  the 
previous  spring  by  various  American  organizations;  not- 
ably, the  32nd  and  79th  Divisions,  but  was  by  no  means 
a  completely  equipped  and  thoroughly  organized  area  in 
which  to  pass  a  comfortable  winter.    In  addition,  almost  im- 

214 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  215 

mediately  upon  arrival,  the  Training  Section  at  General 
Headquarters  directed  that  maneuvers  of  all  kinds  be  com- 
menced with  great  vigor.  These  maneuvers  were  immedi- 
ately commenced ;  and  it  v/as  attempted  to  put  into  practice 
ail  the  lessons  learned  in  the  recent  fighting.  Particular  at- 
tention was  given  to  correcting  deficiencies  that  had  been 
noticed,  and  obtaining  the  benefit  of  co-operation  of  all 
means  at  the  disposal  of  the  troops.  Some  of  the  problems 
were  simple  problems  in  liaison,  with  only  the  commanders 
and  methods  of  communication  actually  present.  In  other 
problems,  all  the  troops  were  out,  and  attention  was  con- 
centrated on  the  proper  tactical  employment,  and  maxi- 
mum co-operation,  of  all  arms.  The  improvement  was 
very  rapid,  and  most  satisfactory.  There  were  many  diffi- 
culties to  contend  with — the  troops  w^ere  tired  by  their 
long  marches;  they  were  very  scattered,  and  large  num- 
bers^ of  replacements  were  arriving  to  fill  up  the  gaps 
caused  by  death,  wounds  and  sickness,  and  the  inevitable 
wear  and  tear  of  war.  In  addition,  many  changes  oc- 
curred in  the  officer  personnel,  and  for  a  considerable 
time  the  artillery  brigade  and  ammunition  train,  which 
had  moved  forward  with  the  80th  Division  in  the  1st  of 
November  attack,  were  completely  lost.  No  one  at  Division 
Headquarters,  at  Fifth  Corps  Headquarters  (the  Division 
now  being  part  of  the  Fifth  Corps),  or  anywhere  else, 
seemed  able  to  discover  the  location  of  these  units.  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Wainwright  left  the  Division  Staff  almost 
immediately  after  the  withdrav/al  of  the  Division  from 
the  line;  and  Major  Lansing  Lee  and  Lt.  Col.  Troop 
Miller  left  a  little  later.  Their  places  w^ere  taken  by  Lt. 
Col.  (then  Major)  George  E.  Roosevelt,  Maj.  James  C. 
McMannaway,  and  Lt.  Col.  James  P.  Barney,  respectively. 
In  the  163rd  Infar^try  Brigade,  General  Cronin  was  re- 
placed by  General  Bradley,  and  Colonel  Preston  and 
Colonel  Miller  took  command  of  the  327th  and  326th  In- 
fantries, respectively.    Lt.  Col.  B.  Moore  was  replaced  as 


216  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION 

Division  Machine  Gun  Officer  by  Maj.  I.  C.  HoUoway, 
who  had  commanded  the  321st  Machine  Gun  Battalion 
during  the  fighting. 

The  maneuver  program  involved  battalion,  regimental 
and  brigade  maneuvers,  and  called  for  a  Division  maneuver 
to  be  managed  by  Corps  Headquarters,  at  least  once  a 
month.  The  weather,  which  had  previously  been  cold  and 
wet,  became  colder,  so  that  the  wet  turned  to  snow.  Many 
of  the  men  were  required  to  eat  out  of  doors,  as  no 
proper  housing  facilities  were  provided.  The  Division 
maneuver  showed  the  great  difficulties  of  conducting  such 
operations  under  the  existing  conditions.  Distant  organ- 
izations were  required  to  bivouac  for  two  nights,  and  so 
many  eases  of  colds  and  pneumonia  developed,  that  the 
Corps  Commander,  Maj.  Gen.  Charles  P.  Summerall, 
terminated  the  maneuvers,  and  most  fortunately,  the  ex- 
periment was  not  repeated. 

During  December,  the  artillery  brigade  finally  rejoined 
the  Division,  and  immediately  commenced  to  replace  the 
horses  of  the  319th  F.  A.  regiment  with  tractors.  At  the  time 
the  regiment  was  originally  organized,  it  was  designated 
as  tractor-drawn,  and  recruited  and  trained  on  that  basis. 
During  its  operations  in  France,  it  was  supplied  with 
horses;  but  after  the  armistice  it  again  made  a  valiant 
effort  to  turn  horsemen  into  mechanics  and  chauffeurs. 
Immediately,  artillery  officers  were  detailed  permanently 
with  infantry  organizations,  in  order  that  there  »should  be 
the  most  thorough  mutual  understanding  and  co-opera- 
tions between  the  two  arms,  and  the  extremely  satisfactory 
results  obtained  in  maneuvers,  thoroughly  justified  this 
policy. 

It  was  during  December  that  after  considerable  effort, 
a  number  of  buildings  were  secured,  to  be  used  as  mess- 
halls,  and  the  untiring  efforts  of  all  did  a  great  deal  to- 
wards improving  the  conditions  under  which  the  Division 
was  required  to  work.     A  Division  show  was  organized 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION  217 

under  Captain  Dunlap  of  Headquarters  Troop,  and  also 
the  Division  horse-show,  the  first  in  the  A.  E.  F.,  was 
held,  and  was  so  successful,  that  horse-shows  of  a  similar 
nature  were  ordered  throughout  the  A.  E.  F.  The  work 
of  Captain  Dunlap,  Captain  Holbert,  the  Division  Re- 
mount Officer;  the  enthusiasm  and  inspiration  furnished 
by  Col.  Gordon  Johnston,  the  Division  Chief  of  Staff;  and 
the  backing  of  General  Duncan,  the  Division  Commander, 
were  all  of  prime  importance  in  successfully  carrying  out 
the  horse-show  in  spite  of  the  conditions  of  weather  that 
prevailed. 

The  month  of  January  saw  the  further  alleviation  of 
the  pressure  by  the  reduction  of  the  training  program 
from  GHQ;  and  by  this  time,  the  Division  personnel  was 
practically  completed;  the  transportation  was  in  excel- 
lent shape,  both  horse  and  motor;  and  the  organization 
running  very  smoothly  and  satisfactorily.  During  this 
period,  the  First  Army  held  conferences  on  recent  opera- 
tions for  the  Division  and  Brigade  commanders ;  the  Corps 
held  conferences  for  the  officers,  including  many  of  the 
battalion  commanders;  and  the  Division  included  schemes 
along  this  line  from  which  a  great  deal  of  benefit  was 
derived.  Once  a  week  the  brigade  and  regimental  com- 
manders met  the  Division  Staff  officers  for  the  transaction 
of  routine  business,  and  in  order  to  listen  to  the  stories 
of  various  officers  and  men  who  could  throw  light  on  par- 
ticularly interesting  features  of  the  operations  of  the 
Division.  It  was  partly  as  a  result  of  these  conferences 
and  stories  that  Lt.  Col.  (then  Major)  G.  Edward  Buxton, 
Jr.,  w^as  detailed  to  prepare  a  complete  and  accurate  Divi- 
sion History.  In  order  to  verify  many  important  details, 
sufficient  transportation  was  provided  so  that  he  could  take 
parties  of  officers  up  to  the  scene  of  the  Division  fighting 
in  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  and  go  over  with  them 
disputed  and  important  points,  verifying  on  the  actual 
ground  the  details  of  exactly  what  occurred.    It  was  also 


218  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

provided  that  brigade  commanders  should  hold  conferences 
with  their  battalion  commanders  at  which  either  the  Chief 
of  Staff,  or  the  Assistant  Chief  of  Staff,  G-3,  should  be 
present;  and  in  that  way,  Division  Headquarters  was  able 
to  keep  closely  in  touch  with  the  thoughts  of  the  men  of 
the  Division. 

In  February,  General  Summerall,  the  Corps  Commander, 
visited  the  Division  and,  in  a  Avhirlwind  tour,  reviewed  all 
the  organizations.  This  trip  required  an  entire  day,  and 
General  Summerall 's  opinion  was  expressed  in  an  official 
communication  contained  in  the  supplementary  material 
in  this  volume.  In  this  month,  the  Division  held  its  sec- 
ond horse-show,  even  more  successful  than  the  first,  and 
as  an  additional  feature.  General  Summerall  reviewed  the 
Division,  brigade  and  regimental  ofifiicers  mounted,  in  a 
very  impressive  ceremony.  During  this  ceremony,  and  to 
the  entire  surprise  of  the  Division  officers  present.  General 
Summerall  called  out  Sergeant  York,  who  was  carrying  the 
Division  flag,  and  in  an  impressive  speech,  commended 
him  for  his  wonderful  fight  which  was  to  later  gain  him 
the  Medal  of  Honor.  The  following  week,  the  Corps  horse- 
show  was  held,  and  was  won  by  the  82nd  Division.  Too 
much  credit  cannot  be  given  to  Captain  Holbert  for  the 
condition  of  the  horses  and  transportation ;  and  to  Captain 
Patton,  of  the  325th  Infantry,  who  had  charge  of  the 
Division  hangar  and  the  care  and  discipline  of  the  men; 
and  to  Captain  Dunlap,  who  worked  untiringly  while  the 
transportation  from  all  the  different  units  was  billeted  in 
Prauthoy.  The  band  representing  the  82nd  Division  also 
won  the  competition  for  bands  in  the  Corps. 

Shortly  after  this,  the  Commander-in-Chief  reviewed  the 
Division.  The  field  on  which  the  review  was  held,  large 
enough  to  have  accommodated  an  entire  Corps,  was  cov- 
ered with  snow,  and  presented  a  most  impressive  appear- 
ance. In  order  to  consolidate  the  Division,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  borrow  50  trucks,  and  to  utilize  all  the  trucks  in 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  2ig> 

the  Division  trains.  All  the  distant  units  had  to  commence 
moving  at  daylight;  whether  they  marched  or  were  trans- 
ported. When  the  Commander-in-Chief  arrived  on  the 
field,  the  Division  was  completely  formed,  with  the  Win- 
ners in  the  Division  horse-show  in  the  rear,  representing 
the  transport.  Every  company  was  personally  inspected 
by  the  reviewing  party,  and  immediately  afterwards,  the 
Division  passed  in  review.  A  communication  from  the 
Commander-in-Chief  to  the  Division  Commander  immedi- 
ately after  this  review,  is  printed  in  the  supplementary 
material. 

It  was  shortly  after  this  that  intimation  was  received 
that  the  Division  would  return  home,  and  excitement  of 
course  became  intense.  The  intimation  took  the  form  of 
orders  to  turn  in  property,  and  during  the  last  part  of 
February,  trucks,  tractors,  guns,  escort  wagons,  machine 
guns  and  other  property,  were  turned  in  at  the  railhead 
at  Yaux,  or  were  transported  to  other  places  designated. 
On  February  26th,  the  move  to  Bordeaux  commenced,  and 
on  March  2nd  Division  Headquarters  was  opened  at 
Castres,  on  the  Garonne  River,  near  Bordeaux.  The  journey 
by  train  was  two  days  and  two  nights  for  those  who  were 
on  time,  and  somewhat  longer  for  others.  There  were  but 
two  trains  per  day  and  the  movement  covered  more  than 
one  week.  In  addition,  as  the  Division  moved  without 
animals  or  transportation,  and  the  trains  were  of  the 
strategic,  and  not  the  tactical,  type,  containing  no  flatcars ; 
there  was  a  general  feeling  that  war-time  conditions  were 
coming  to  an  end,  and  that  the  journey  home  had  really 
begun.  The  area  near  Bordeaux  in  which  the  Division 
was  billeted  had  never  been  used  for  a  complete  combat 
Division  before,  and  inadequate  telephone  service  and  in- 
sufficient transportation  were  the  principal  difficulties  with 
which  we  contended.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  Bordeaux 
area,  troops  were  required  to  drill  but  two  hours  a  day, 
and  to  occupy  their  spare  time  many  devices  were  em- 


220  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

ployed.  Major  Cunningham  was  appointed  athletic  and 
welfare  officer ;  a  baseball  league  was  organized ;  shows  were 
organized  in  the  Division,  and  additional  shows  secured 
from  Bordeaux  and  booked  throughout  the  area;  movies 
were  provided,  and  leaves  on  a  liberal  scale  to  the  nearby 
leave  areas  v/ere  arranged.  Practically  every  man  entitled 
to  leave  v/as  able  to  get  away. 

Of  special  interest  in  this  connection  is  the  leave  train 
to  Italy  which  was  finally  secured  and  which  I  believe 
was  the  only  leave  train  sent  by  the  A.  E.  F.  to  Italy. 
Eleven  hundred  men  were  sent  on  this  train,  which  was 
in  charge  of  Major  (then  Captain)  Danforth  of  the  328th 
Infantry,  and  the  men  kept  up  the  excellent  record  that 
they  had  made  with  the  Division  in  combat.  During  the 
stay  in  this  area  the  schools  which  had  been  started  in 
Prauthoy  were  developed  still  further  under  the  general 
supervision  of  Chaplain  Tyler,  the  senior  Chaplain  of 
the  Division,  and  more  than  8000  men  were  attending  the 
schools  regularly.  While  in  the  Prauthoy  area,  some  of 
the  units  had  held  memorial  services  for  their  members 
who  had  been  killed  in  action  or  died  in  France.  In  the 
Bordeaux  area  all  the  remaining  units  held  such  services, 
and  on  most  occasions,  the  Division  Commander  was 
present,  and  made  an  address.  Reviews  wxre  held  fre- 
quently in  order  to  encourage  the  snappiness  and  soldierly 
appearance  of  all  units  and  at  one  such  review  General 
Lindsey  was  presented  with  the  Distinguished  Service 
Medal,  and  on  another,  Sergeant  York  received  his  Medal 
of  Honor.  During  this  entire  period  every  effort  was 
made  to  impress  upon  the  men  of  the  Division  that  they 
must  now  prepare  to  return  to  civil  life,  and  that  the 
preparation  was  fully  as  important  and  difficult  as  their 
previous  training  had  been  to  prepare  them  for  military 
life.  The  following  memorandum,  which  was  one  of  a 
number,  indicates  in  a  general  way  how  this  was  car- 
ried on: 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  221 

HQ.  82d  DIV.,  AMERICAN  E.  F.,  FRANCE 

17  March,  1919. 
G.  S.  MEMORANDUM  No.  14. 

Although  the  training  of  the  Division  at  the  present 
time  is  very  different  from  the  training  required  in  an- 
ticipation of  operations,  it  is  no  less  important  and  fuUy 
as  difficult.  Within  a  short  time  all  but  a  few  members 
of  the  Division  will  return  to  civil  life  and  they  should 
be  as  well  fitted  to  take  up  civil  pursuits  as  the  present 
conditions  permit.  The  qualities  acquired  during  the 
period  of  military  training  should  make  all  members  of 
this  command  more  useful  citizens  than  they  would  other- 
wise be,  and  the  knowledge  of  foreign  countries  and  cus- 
toms, submission  to  discipline,  individual  initiative,  pride 
of  organization  and  self-sacrifice  for  a  cause,  are  just  as 
necessary  after  discharge  from  the  army  as  they  have  been 
in  the  A.  E.  F.  No  effort  should  be  neglected  to  continue 
the  development  of  these  qualities. 

The  conditions  in  the  United  States  will  be  found  very- 
different  from  those  which  prevailed  at  the  time  the  Divi- 
sion left,  and  the  great  economic  readjustment  caused  by 
the  termination  of  the  war  is  now  in  process  of  changing 
the  conditions  and  customs  with  which  most  of  us  are 
familiar.  Every  help  will  be  given  to  the  members  of  this 
Division  to  insure  their  fitting  into  the  peace-time  system 
at  home  in  the  most  advantageous  manner  possible.  But 
it  must  be  impressed  on  all  that  the  future  of  the  indi- 
vidual in  civil  life  will  depend,  primarily,  on  his  own 
qualities,  character  and  initiative,  and  that  any  assistance 
that  can  be  rendered  is  supplementary. 

Members  of  the  command  should  realize  that,  because 
of  their  experience  as  members  of  the  A.  E.  F.  and  because 
of  the  part  they  took  in  the  operations  during  this  war, 
they  have  the  opportunity  and  the  obligation  to  become 
leaders  in  the  life  of  the  nation  at  home  and  they  will  be 
expected  to  assume  that  position.  This  is  an  opportunity 
and  an  obligation  of  the  greatest  importance,  for  the  future 
of  the  United  States  now  lies  in  the  hands  of  the  members 
of  the  A.  E.  F.  if  they  are  properly  prepared  to  grasp  the 
existing  situation.     In  solving  the  problems  that  will  be 


222  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

presented,  the  spirit  of  subordination  and  of  co-operation 
so  essential  in  military  life  will  become  equally  essential 
after  the  return  to  civil  life.  All  soldiers  must  now  realize 
that  discipline  is  an  essential  requisite  to  military  success. 
They  should  realize  likewise  that  true  discipline  is  the 
basis  of  team  play.  Team  play,  rather  than  individual 
or  factional  struggles,  will  lead  to  the  true  solution  of 
the  difficulties  ahead.  The  splendid  record  made  in  the 
past  should  be  a  spur  to  even  greater  accomplishments  in 
the  future,  and  the  pride  in  having  done  one  thing  well 
should  be  the  incentive  for  doing  the  next  thing  well ;  and 
the  mutual  confidence  acquired  to  working  together  in  a 
military  organization  should  form  the  basis  of  a  mutual 
confidence  in  working  together  when  released  from  military 
life. 

G.  S.  Memorandum  No.  12  directs  that  one  hour  per  day 

be  used  in  the  instruction  of  members  of  the  command  in 

many  important  subjects.     In  addition  to  those  subjects, 

instruction  will  be  given  in  the  principles  outlined  above. 

BY   COMMAND  OF  BRIGADIER  GENERAL 

LINDSEY: 

George  E.  Roosevelt,  Lieutenant  Colonel, 

Chief  of  Staff. 

In  April  the  orders  for  the  shipment  home  finally  ar- 
rived, and  the  first  units  of  the  Division  marched  to  the 
embarkation  camp  on  April  20.  All  units  sailed  from 
Base  Section  No.  2,  at  Bordeaux,  and  were  landed  in  New 
York.  At  New  York  the  Division  was  split  between  Camps 
Upton,  Dix  and  Mills,  and  demobilized  as  rapidly  as  the 
demobilization  machinery  could  work.  The  unfortunate 
organization  to  return  last  was  the  326th  Infantry,  which 
was  quarantined  at  Pauillac,  and  did  not  start  for  home 
until  well  on  in  May;  but  by  June  1  practically  every 
member  of  the  Division  who  did  not  desire  further  service 
in  the  army  had  returned  to  civil  life,  and  the  Division 
as  a  military  organization  had  passed  into  history. 


SUPPLEMENTAEY  MATEEIAL 

RELATING  TO  THE 

HISTOEY  OF  THE  82ND  DIVISION,  A.  E.  F. 


LIFE  OF  GEKEEAL  DUNCAN 

Major  General  George  B.  Duncan  assumed  command  of  the 
82nd  Division  October  4,  1918,  just  before  the  Division  entered 
its  great  offensive  in  the  Meuse-Argonne  operations. 

General  Duncan  was  graduated  from  the  Military  Academy 
in  1886  and  after  graduation  was  assigned  to  the  9th  Infantry, 
and  served  with  that  regiment  for  six  years  in  Arizona.  His 
duties  during  this  time  involved  the  charge  of  the  Apache  tribes, 
the  Hualpi  and  the  Yava-Supi  Indians  whose  homes  were  near 
the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado,  in  addition  to  his  regular 
work  with  his  regiment. 

From  1892-4  he  served  upon  the  personal  staff  of  Maj.  Gen. 
John  M.  Scofield  in  command  of  the  Army.  He  was  relieved 
from  this  duty  early  in  1894  to  join,  as  1st  Lieutenant,  the  4th 
Infantry  to  which  he  had  been  promoted  the  previous  year  for 
duty  as  regimental  adjutant.  He  continued  in  this  capacity  until 
the  Spanish-American  War.  He  was  then  given  a  Volunteer  com- 
mission of  Captain,  Adjutant  General's  Department,  and  saw  field 
service  as  Adjutant  of  a  brigade  in  front  of  Santiago,  Cuba,  and 
later  as  Adjutant  of  a  division  of  the  first  troops  landing  in  Porto 
Rico.  He  joined  his  regiment,  the  4th  Infantry,  in  time  to 
proceed  with  it  to  the  Philippines  in  January,  1899.  He  was 
promoted  Captain  in  March,  1899. 

He  served  three  years  in  the  Philippines  as  Adjutant  of  a 
brigade  and  in  command  of  his  company,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  field  operations  of  the  Army,  notably  in  the  Province 
of  Cabiti.  After  three  years'  service  in  the  Philippines,  he 
returned  with  his  regiment  to  the  States  for  a  period  of  fifteen 
months.  He  returned  to  the  Philippine  Islands  in  June,  1903, 
where  he  continued  on  duty  for  six  years,  during  the  first  part 

223 


224  OFFICIAL  HISTORYi  OF.  82nd  DIVISION 

at  tlie  Headquarters  of  the  Department  of  Lnzon,  as  Acting 
Chief  Quartermaster  of  that  Department.  He  was  given  a 
temporary  commission  of  Major  of  Philippine  Scouts  in  February, 
1905,  and  organized  the  noted  Third  Battalion  of  that  organiza- 
tion. In  1908  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  all  Philippine  Scouts, 
on  the  staff  of  the  Division  Commander,  and  continued  on  this 
duty  until  July,  1909,  when,  on  account  of  illness  he  was  returned 
to  the  States. 

He  was  promoted  to  Major  of  Infantry  and  assigned  to  the 
2nd  Infantry  upon  his  return  and  served  with  that  organization 
for  two  years.  In  1911  he  took  a  special  course  at  the  Army 
Service  Schools,  Fort  Leavenworth,  which  was  followed  by  the 
course  at  the  Army  War  College  at  Washington,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1912.  He  was  transferred  to  the  9th 
Infantry  and  served  with  that  organization  in  Garrison  and 
upon  the  Mexican  border  until  April,  1914,  when  he  was  detailed 
upon  the  General  Staff  of  the  Army  and  assigned  to  the  War 
Department    branch   of   that    Staff. 

He  continued  upon  this  duty  until  our  entry  into  the  present 
war,  except  for  a  period  of  five  months'  service  with  the  17th 
Infantry  on  the  border  in  1915,  when  he  was  promoted  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  that  regiment  in  September  of  that  year.  He  was 
promoted  a  Colonel  of  Infantry,  September  18,  1916.  In  June, 
1917,  he  was  relieved  from  the  General  Staff  at  his  own  request 
and  assigned  the  command  of  the  26th  Infantry,  one  of  the 
regiments  of  the  1st  Division  about  to  leave  for  France. 

He  took  command  of  the  26th  Infantry  as  it  was  embarking 
at  New  York  with  the  1st  Division,  A.  E.  F.,  the  first  troops 
to  go  to  France  after  our  entry  into  the  w^ar  against  Germany; 
and  held  command  of  the  regiment  till  September  1,  1917.  He 
was  promoted  Brigadier  General,  August  5,  1917,  and  participated 
in  the  French  offensive  at  Verdun,  August  16-19,  1917,  with  the 
94th  French  Infantry,  an  attacking  regiment.  He  was  awarded 
the  Croix  de  Guerre  for  his  part  in  this  battle. 

General  Duncan  was  assigned  to  command  the  1st  Brigade, 
1st  Division,  September  1,  1917,  and  had  part  in  its  front-line 
training  in  the  battle  sector  east  of  Nancy,  November,  1917.  This 
Brigade,  under  General  Duncan's  command,  held  the  battle-sector 
near  Toul  in  January,  February  and  March,  1918,  and  this  was 
the  first  battle-sector  command  exercised  by  an  American  general 
officer  in  France.  He  went  with  the  1st  Division  to  Picardy 
in  April,  1918,  and  his  men  were  the  first  troops  of  the  1st 
Division  to  take  part  in  the  battle  north  of  Montdidier. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  225 

Promotiou  to  Major  General  came  on  April  12,  1918,  and  the 
following  month  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  77th 
Division,  the  first  of  the  National  Army  divisions  to  reach  France. 
After  he  had  trained  the  division  with  the  British,  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Baccarat  sector  in  June,  1918,  and  thence  to  the 
Vesle  for  offensive  action  in  July,  1918.  General  Duncan  com- 
manded the  77th  in  action  on  the  Vesle  till  August  19,  1918. 

He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  82nd  Division  on 
October  4,  1918.  After  the  armistice  General  Duncan  received  the 
Distinguished  Service  Medal  and  was  made  a  Companion  of  tho 
Order  of  the  Bath. 


THE  ARTILLERY  OF  THE  82nd  DIVISION 

CONTEIBUTED   BY 

Captain  J.  G.  Pennypackeb,  F.  A.  A.,  A.  O.  of  S.,  G-3 

The  graduates  of  the  First  Officers'  Training  Camp  at  Fort 
McPherson,  Georgia,  reported  to  the  Commanding  General  of 
the  newly-formed  82nd  Division  at  Camp  Gordon,  Georgia,  on 
August  29,  1917.  The  artillery  officers  were  members  of  the 
1st,  2nd  and  3rd  Batteries  of  the  7th  Provisional  Training  Regi- 
ment and  formed  the  commissioned  personnel  of  the  three 
artillery  regiments  of  the  82nd  Division— the  319th,  320th  and 
321st.  According  to  the  new  Tables  of  Organization  of  August, 
1917,  the  Field  Artillery  Brigade  of  a  Division  was  to  be  com- 
posed of  five  separate  organizations:  three  Regiments,  one  of 
which  was  to  be  equipped  with  a  six-inch  howitzer  and  two 
with  three-inch  guns,  a  Trench  Mortar  Battery,  and  a  Brigade 
Headquarters.  Brig.  Gen.  Charles  D.  Menoher  had  been  desig- 
nated by  the  War  Department  as  the  Commanding  General  of 
the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade,  but  at  the  time  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Brigade  General  Menoher  was  in  France,  nor  did 
he  ever  assume  command  of  the  Brigade.  Colonel  E.  D'A.  Pearce, 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  319th  Field  Artillery,  acted  as 
Brigade  Commander  until  Brig.  Gen.  Charles  D.  Rhodes  was 
assigned  in  Fe])ruary,  1918,  with  the  exception  of  the  period 
from  August  29,  1917,  to  September  9,  1917,  when  Brig.  Gen. 
Brady  v/as  in  command. 

The  first  enlisted  men  reported  on  September  5,  a  small  train- 
ing nucleus,  composed  of  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates 
in  the  Regular  Army.     The  bulk   of   the   personnel,   from   the 


226  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

States  of  Georgia,  Alabama  and.  Tennessee  were  received  during 
the  next  few  weeks.  In  November,  however,  practically  all  these 
men  were  transferred  to  other  camps  and  in  place  of  them  men 
were  received  from  Texas,  Oklahoma,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  all 
Of  the  states  east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  Camps  Upton,  Devens, 
Meade  and  Lee  furnishing  the  majority  of  the  recruits. 

The  training  of  the  artillery  was  seriously  hampered  by  lack 
of  equipment.  In  September  one  battery  of  three-inch  guns  was 
received  w^hich  was  shared  for  training  purposes  by  all  three 
regiments  of  the  Brigade.  Gun  squads  had  the  use  of  the 
guns  for  instruction  purposes  for  a  total  of  about  ten  hours 
during  the  period  of  approximately  two  months  before  going  to 
the  range  for  target  practice.  A  large  part  of  the  training, 
however,  was  accomplished  with  wooden  guns,  the  materiel  of 
the  Brigade  consisting  of  these  crudely  made  structures  fashioned 
from  the  trunks  of  small  trees,  tin  cans,  spools,  gas  pipes  and 
any  available  material  which  could  be  made  to  represent  the 
sight,  the  quadrant,  the  breech  block,  traversing  and  elevating 
mechanism  and  other  important  parts  of  the  real  gun.  It  re- 
quired constant  endeavor  and  almost  infinite  patience  on  the 
part  of  the  officers  and  men  to  overcome  handicaps  and  to  develop 
accuracy  and  speed  in  the  gun  squads.  In  the  instruction  of 
the  specialists  of  the  batteries  and  of  the  various  headquarters 
serious  obstacles  were  also  encountered,  there  being  an  absolute 
lack  of  fire  control  and  signal  equipment.  With  tedious  labor 
signal  flags,  telephones,  buzzers,  battery  commanders'  telescopes, 
plane  tables,  etc.,  were  manufactured  within  the  organizations.  In 
this  way  training  in  the  problems  of  communication  and  prepara- 
tion of  firing  data  were  successfully  carried  on. 

In  the  fall  of  1917  land  suitable  for  an  artillery  range  was 
-  leased  by  the  government  at  Blackjack  Mountain,  about  one  mile 
from  Marietta,  Cobb  County,  Georgia,  and  twenty-two  miles 
northwest  of  Camp  Gordon.  Another  battery  of  three-inch  field 
pieces  having  been  assigned  to  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade, 
two  batteries  were  available  for  target  practice.  Firing  was 
begun  early  in  December  and  was  continued  from  that  time 
until  the  departure  of  the  Brigade  in  May.  This  opportunity 
for  some  real  firing  was  not  only  a  valuable  experience  in 
itself  but  lent  added  interest  to  the  entire  training  period. 
The  visits  to  Marietta  w^ere  always  looked  forward  to  with 
pleasure  by  the  officers  and  men  on  account  of  the  realities  of 
the  training  on  the  range  and  the  especially  hospitable  spirit 
of  the  people  of  Marietta. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  227 

During  this  training  period  botli  the  319th  and  321st  were 
designated  as  motorized  regiments.  Many  men  were  transferred 
out  of  these  organizations  who  were  unsuited  for  handling  trucks 
and  tractors,  their  places  being  filled  by  men  who  had  had 
experience  in  civil  life  with  gas  engines.  Motor  trucks  and 
tractors  not  being  available,  it  was  necessary  in  instructing  men 
to  be  mechanics  and  chauffeurs  to  resort  to  the  use  of  drawings 
and  paper  illustrations  of  the  workings  of  the  gas  engine.  In 
the  spring  several  trucks  were  assigned  and  the  training  was 
greatly  expedited.  The  821st,  however,  never  was  motorized 
and  the  319th  was  horse-drawn  throughout  the  entire  period  of 
preliminary  training  and  of  fighting,  partial  motor  equipment 
being  received  only  after  the  armistice.  This  necessitated  the 
reorganization  of  these  regiments  when  horses  were  received 
after  arrival  in  France,  and  it  became  necessary  to  organize 
stable  details,  veterinary  details  and  all  other  institutions  neces- 
sary for  the  care  of  the  artillery  horses  and  the  training  of 
the  men  in  their  care  and  handling. 

On  May  8th  the  Brigade  began  entraining  for  Camp  Mills, 
Garden  City,  Long  Island,  and  on  May  19  set  sail  from  New 
York.  Brigade  Headquarters  and  the  320th  Field  Artillery  sailed 
on  the  British  transport  City  of  Exeter,  the  319th  on  the 
Lapland  and  the  321st  on  the  Cretic.  These  ships  formed  part 
of  a  convoy  of  twelve  vessels  protected  by  the  U.  S.  S.  Mon- 
tana and  the  converted  cruiser  St.  Louis.  The  voyage  was 
uneventful.  Landing  at  Liverpool  on  May  31  the  Brigade  en^ 
trained  for  Winchester,  spent  two  days  at  the  Winnal  Downs 
Rest  Camp  and  crossed  the  Channel  from  Southampton  to  Le 
Havre.  Here  the  regiments  again  entrained  for  La  Courtine, 
where  they  arrived  on  June  5,  6,  7  and  8. 

At  La  Courtine  the  Brigade  drew  its  full  equipment  of  materiel 
and  transportation,  and  underwent  a  thorough  two  months' 
course  of  training,  culminating  in  a  Brigade  firing  problem 
worked  out  in  its  most  minute  details.  The  armament  of  the 
320th  and  321st  Regiments  consisted  of  75  mm.  guns,  and  the 
319th  received  155  mm.  howitzers.  It  was  here  that  the  Brigade 
had  its  first  opportunity  to  fire  and  become  otherwise  familiar 
with  these  weapons.  An  equally  important  feature  of  the  work 
at  La  Courtine  was  the  developing  and  training  of  enlisted  and 
commissioned  specialists  in  telephone  and  radio  work,  operations, 
material  and  Intelligence,  as  well  as  balloon  and  aeroplane 
observers. 

From  La  Courtine  the  Brigade  moved  by  train  on  August  5-10, 


228  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

to  the  area  behind  Chateau  Thierry  to  form  part  of  the  reserve 
of  the  First  Army  in  tlie  operations  along  the  Vesle.  On  account 
of  the  favorable  progress  of  the  campaign,  however,  the  Brigade 
was  not  needed  in  this  sector  and  moved  by  train  to  Toul.  It 
was  in  the  little  villages  in  this  vicinity,  about  August  15,  that 
the  German  bombing  planes,  on  their  nightly  visits  to  Toul, 
gave  the  different  units  of  the  Brigade  their  first  experience 
under  fire. 

On  the  night  of  August  18-19  the  Brigade  started  the  march 
to  the  Marbache  sector  where,  on  August  22,  it  completed  the 
relief  of  the  2nd  Brigade  of  the  Second  Division.  The  1st  Bat- 
talion, 319th  Field  Artillery,  and  the  1st  Battalion,  321st  Field 
Artillery,  had  previously  been  detached  from  the  Brigade,  and 
attached  to  the  89th  Division.  It  was  a  forward  gun  of  Battery 
A,  319th  Field  Artillery,  at  Manonville,  that  fired  the  first  shot 
of  the  Brigade  at  the  front,  at  3.10  p.m.,  August  20.  These  units 
rejoined  the  Brigade  just  before  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive. 

The  Marbache  sector  had  well  constructed  dugouts  and  battery 
positions  and  an  intricate  system  of  telephone  communication, 
the  result  of  four  years  of  French  occupation.  The  sector  being 
purely  a  defensive  one,  the  infantry  was  organized  in  great 
depth,  which  necessitated,  of  course,  equally  deep  formation  of 
the  artillery.  Accordingly,  each  battery  was  divided  into 
platoons,  one  posted  well  forward  to  defend  the  outpost  position 
with  barrage  fire,  and  one  platoon  placed  in  a  rear  position 
for  the  final  defense  of  the  infantry  line  of  resistance.  A  very 
elaborate  system  of  defensive  barrages  and  counter-preparation 
fire  was  planned.  The  plan  of  defense  provided,  moreover,  that 
in  case  of  a  general  assault  the  forward  platoons  would  at 
once  fall  back  to  prepared  positions.  Except  for  a  limited 
amount  of  registration,  practically  no  fire  was  permitted,  how- 
ever, until  September  12.  The  first  official  shot  fired  at  the 
front  by  the  75  mm.  Regiments  was  fired  August  22,  on  Norroy, 
by  Battery  F,  320th  Field  Artillery,  as  a  reward  for  the  excel- 
lent work  of  its  gun  squads  in  competition  at  La  Courtine. 

Notice  of  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive  was  received  in  ample  time 
to  construct  forward  gun  positions  for  practically  the  entire 
Brigade.  Much  assistance  was  rendered  by  the  infantry.  The 
batteries  were  moved  up  one  and  two  nights  before  the  attack, 
every  precaution  being  observed  to  maintain  secrecy.  In  the 
matter  of  O.P.'s  the  Brigade  was  fortunate,  there  being 
in  this  sector  two  of  the  best  on  the  whole  front — Mousson 
Hill    and    Ste.    Genevieve.      O.P.'s    were    also    established    on 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  229 

the  forward  slope  of  Xon  Hill,  which  is  directly  in 
front  of  Mousson  and  marks  the  extreme  front  of  the  infantry 
lines.  Trench  mortar  emplacements  were  dug  just  behind  the 
town  of  Les  M^nils.  It  was  intended  to  wipe  out  a  quadrangular 
section  of  woods,  Bois  de  la  Voivrotte,  by  means  of  trench 
mortar  fire.  This  woods  was  a  strongly  held  advance  position 
in  the  Boche  line,  infested  with  machine  guns  and  mortar  em- 
placements and  provided  with  deep  dugouts.  This  attack  was 
unsuccessful.  The  Germans  must  have  learned  of  the  plan, 
for  while  the  projectiles  were  being  fused  the  Boche  put  down 
a  heavy  fire  of  77's  and  150's.  Lieutenant  Blackman,  in  charge, 
fired  the  ammunition  that  was  fused  and  then  marched  his 
men  back  to  their  dugouts  in  the  rear  of  the  hill  without  losing 
a  man. 

The  artillery  preparation  started  at  H  minus  4  hours  (1  hour, 
September  12).  The  mission  assigned  to  the  Brigade  was  purely 
that  of  counter-battery  work.  A  large  amount  of  gas — No.  5 
and  No.  20  (phosgene  and  mustard) — was  furnished  for  this 
purpose.  Certain  French  heavy  artillery  of  the  sector  was 
assigned  to  the  Brigade  for  assistance.  After  frequent  consulta- 
tions with  the  Corps  Artillery  Commander,  sixteen  German  bat- 
teries were  assigned  to  this  Brigade  for  counter-battery  work.  In 
addition  to  this  other  German  positions  were  given.  In  all  a 
total  of  thirty-five  German  battery  positions  were  definitely 
located  before  our  sector.  A  large  amount  of  Corps  and  Army 
artillery  was  placed  in  the  sector,  but  most  of  it  was  assigned 
to  assist  the  Divisions  on  our  left.  The  French  had  in  the 
sector  a  splendid  S.R.O.T.  (Service  Renseignement  Observation 
Terrestrial — Terrestrial  Information  Observation  Service)  sec- 
tion, some  of  its  personnel  having  been  in  this  sector  for  four 
years.  Shortly  after  the  attack  started,  at  5  a.m.,  the  S.R.O.T. 
service  evidenced  its  uncanny  accuracy.  The  telephone  at 
Brigade  Headquarters  would  ring  and  S.R.O.T.  would  state  that 
an  enemy  battery,  giving  exact  co-ordinates,  was  in  action.  This 
target  would  be  assigned  to  one  of  the  batteries  or  battalions 
of  the  Brigade  and  in  ten  minutes  S.R.O.T.  would  report  "Bat- 
tery silenced."  In  addition  to  counter-battery  work  considerable 
harassing  and  interdiction  fire  was  undertaken,  and  one  bat- 
talion each  of  75's  and  155's  was  assigned  to  fugitive  target 
work.  Boche  troops  on  the  roads  were  fired  upon,  and  one 
avion  w^hich  had  made  a  forced  landing  was  destroyed  by  fire 
from  Battery  C,  321st  Field  Artillery. 

On  September  13,  about  noon,  the  Division  was  ordered  to 
take  prisoners  for  identification  on  our  front.    A  hastily  planned 


230  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

operation  was  worked  up  for  a  raid  into  Bois  Frehaut  by  the 
327th  Infantry.  This  included  a  smoke  screen,  box  barrage  and 
severe  interdiction  fire  by  the  155's.  A  total  of  about  10,000 
rounds  of  ammunition  was  fired  by  the  75's,  and  1500  by  the  155's. 

The  328th  Infantry  advanced  to  Norroy  at  dusk  on  September 
13th  while  our  Brigade  was  supporting  the  raid  above  mentioned, 
but  the  Brigade  assisted  this  regiment  by  counter-battery  work 
throughout  the  day  and  night  of  September  14th.  The  Brigade 
supported  the  advance  of  the  328th  Inf.  to  Vandieres  on  Septem- 
ber 15th. 

The  result  of  the  St.  Mihiel  operation,  as  far  as  the  Brigade 
was  concerned,  was  the  establishment  of  a  confidence,  born  of 
performance,  that  was  of  inestimable  value  in  the  more  difiicult 
operations  that  were  soon  to  follow.  Over  50,000  rounds  of 
75  mm.  ammunition  and  13,000  rounds  of  155  mm.  ammunition 
were  fired  during  this  period. 

On  September  20  the  82nd  Division  was  relieved  by  the  69th 
(French)  Division,  and  the  Artillery  Brigade  was  assembled  in 
the  vicinity  of  Marbache.  On  September  22  the  long  overland 
march  to  the  Argonne  was  begun,  in  a  rainstorm  and  a  sea 
of  mud.  As  with  all  the  troop  movements  in  preparations  for 
the  Argonne  drive,  all  marching  was  at  night.  The  days  of 
the  23rd,  24th  and  25th  were  spent  near  Lagny,  Boncourt  and 
Pierrefitte,  respectively,  and  Beauzee  was  reached  on  the  morning 
of  the  26th,  when  the  far-off  roar  of  masses  of  artillery  gave 
notice  that  the  big  attack  was  on.  From  Beauzee  the  march 
was  continued  in  the  daytime  to  Futeau,  a  little  town  in  the 
Argonne  Forest  about  twelve  kilometers  from  the  front.  Here 
the  entire  Brigade  was  in  bivouac  until  October  5,  in  constant 
readiness  to  enter  the  line.  The  long  night  marches  had  been 
especially  hard  on  the  horses,  and  a  number  had  been  lost. 
This  period  at  Futeau  was  utilized  for  the  conditioning  of  horses 
and  as  much  training  of  the  personnel  as  was  possible  under  the 
circumstances. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  October  the  Brigade  was  ordered 
to  bivouacs  north  of  Les  Islettes,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
6th,  to  move  again  to  just  south  of  the  former  front  line,  near 
Pierre  Croisee.  Brigade  Headquarters  left  Futeau  at  8  hours, 
October  6,  the  Brigade  Commander  with  the  Adjutant  and 
Operations  Officer  proceeding  to  Varennes  by  auto.  At  Varennes 
information  was  received  from  the  First  Corps,  under  which 
command  the  82nd  Division  had  passed,  that  the  Division  was 
to  hold  itself  in  readiness  to  relieve  either  the  1st,  2Sth  or  77th 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION  231 

Divisions,  or  to  go  into  line  between  any  of  these.  Further 
instructions  were  to  send  liaison  officers  to  the  artillery  brigades 
of  each  of  these  Divisions  to  become  familiar  with  the  sectors. 
This  information  was  sent  back  to  the  regiments  of  the  Brigade 
which,  between  noon  and  14  hours,  had  reached  their  various 
bivouacs.  The  82nd  Division  and  the  i57th  Field  Artillery 
Brigade  established  P.C.'s  in  the  town  of  Varennes.  At  13  hours 
orders  were  received  from  the  Division  that  it  was  to  attack 
the  next  morning  at  5  hours.  The  regiments  were  at  once 
ordered  to  send  forward  reconnaissance  parties  that  battery 
positions  might  be  selected  during  the  few  remaining  hours  of 
daylight. 

On  the  morning  of  Oct.  6th,  Col.  Pearce  of  the  319th  F.A. 
sent  forward  his  Operations  Officer,  Bn.,  and  Battery  Com- 
manders to  select  battery  positions.  He,  himself,  accompanied 
by  his  telephone  officer  went  forward  to  Baulny,  established 
Regimental  Headquarters  and  perfected  plans  for  liaison 
throughout  the  regiment  and  with  the  infantry  units." 

From  1  hour,  Nov.  2nd  and  throughout  the  2nd  some  of  the 
most  important  work  done  by  the  319th  F.A.  was  on  request 
of  the  infantry  to  clean  out  machine  gun  nests  that  were  delay- 
in  their  advance. 

The  road  leading  over  what  had  been  "No  Man's  Land"  for 
four  years  was  well-nigh  impassable,  and  the  conditions  of 
congestion  and  darkness  and  rain  which  did  so  much  to  impede 
the  Infantry's  advance  to  their  position,  were  even  a  greater 
obstacle  to  the  fonvard  movement  of  the  artillery.  The  320th, 
which  led  the  column,  resumed  the  march  at  14  hours.  Colonel 
Williams,  with  his  Operations  Officer,  Captain  Dighton,  w^ent 
forward  to  Varennes,  where  prospective  positions  were  outlined 
by  the  Brigade  Commander.  Returning  along  the  column  the 
Colonel  picked  up  in  his  machine  the  Battalion  and  Battery 
Commanders,  with  whom  he  drove  along  the  Baulny-Fleville 
Road  to  I'Esperance  Ferme.  A  reconnaissance  which,  due  to 
approaching  darkness,  was  necessarily  hasty,  was  then  made  of 
the  ravine  eastward  to  the  eastern  edge  of  Montrebeau  Woods. 
Heavy  shelling  of  the  ravine  and  woods  by  enemy  batteries  also 
added  to  the  difficulty.  However,  positions  for  all  the  batteries 
were  selected.  The  Regiment  was  placed  approximately  in  line 
in  the  eastern  edge  of  the  woods,  with  fields  of  fire  to  the 
northwest.  The  route  was  carefully  marked.  The  column  came 
up  in  good  order,  the  last  gun  going  into  position  at  1  hour, 
October  7. 


232  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

The  S21st,  however,  experienced  greater  difficulties.  Colonel 
Deems  and  four  officers  arrived  at  Brigade  Headquarters  about 
16  hours  30,  and  were  assigned  an  area  near  I'Esperance  Farm, 
of  which  a  hurried  reconnaissance  was  made  before  dark.  Bat- 
taMon  areas  were  assigned  and  officers  posted  at  Montblainville, 
Baulny  and  I'Esperance  to  guide  the  Regiment  into  position. 
The  Post  of  Command  was  selected  at  Chaudron  Farm,  where 
the  P.C.  of  the  320th  Field  Artillery  was  also  established.  Mean- 
while the  Regiment,  under  the  command  of  Major  Mehard, 
marched  from  the  Four-aux-Moines  at  15  hours  30.  Orders  were 
to  proceed  via  Pierre  Croisee.  At  17  hours  30,  just  as  the  column 
was  crossing  the  almost  impassable  road  across  the  original 
trench  system  in  the  Argonne,  the  following  order,  unsigned,  but 
in  the  handw^riting  of  Major  D.  M.  Beere,  Adjutant,  157th  Field 
Artillery  Brigade,  was  delivered  to  Major  Mehard  by  an  officer 
of  the  319th  Field  Artillery: 

"The  321st  Field  Artillery  will  march  north  from  Pierre 
Croisee  via  Abri  du  Crochet  (99.3-72.6)— Montblainville— main 
army  road  to  Baulny — I'Esperance  into  position.  Do  not  clear 
woods  into  open  until  dark." 

Leaving  these  instructions  with  the  officer  at  the  head  of  the 
column  Major  Mehard  at  once  proceeded  to  a  reconnaissance 
of  the  routa  At  Abri  du  Crochet  instructions  were  left  with 
an  M.P.  on  duty  to  direct  the  column  north.  Proceeding  north, 
however,  Major  Mehard  discovered  that  the  road  w^as  im- 
practicable for  fie^d  artillery  on  account  of  heavy  mud  and  that 
practically  all  the  road  north  of  P  91-36  (one  kilometer  north- 
west of  Abri  du  Crochet)  was  under  artillery  and  long  range 
machine-gun  fire.  He  was  further  informed  by  infantry  officers 
that  a  portion  of  the  road  to  Montblainville  was  not  within  our 
lines.  Returning  at  once  to  Abri  du  Crochet  he  left  instructions 
with  the  M.P.  there  to  direct  the  Regiment  to  the  Abri  du 
Crochet-Varennes  Road.  He  then  went  by  motor-cycle  to  I'Esper- 
ance via  Montblainville,  to  obtain  information  and  reconnoiter 
his  battalion  position.  By  the  time  the  column  reached  Abri 
du  Crochet  the  M.P.  who  had  received  instructions  to  divert  the 
column  toward  Varennes  had  been  relieved  and  had  failed  to 
transmit  these  orders  to  his  successor,  who  was  the  one  first 
ordered  by  Major  Mehard  to  direct  the  column  north.  The 
column,  accordingly,  marched  north.  Shortly  before  reaching 
the  crossroads  two  kilometers  northwest  of  Abri  du  Crochet 
the  conditions  of  the  road  became  so  bad  and  the  hostile  fire 
increased  to  such   an   extent  that  the   column  was   halted   by 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  233 

Captain  Keraker  and  1st  Lieutenant  Lindsey,  who  were  in  the 
lead.  Information  obtained  from  an  infantry  officer  close  by 
was  that  the  road  to  Montblainville  was  not  entirely  within 
our  lines  and  that  it  was  practically  impassible.  On  the  basis 
of  this  the  column  was  counter-marched  after  considerable  diffi- 
culty and  unavoidable  delay.  It  returned  to  the  Abri  du  Crochet, 
and  from  there  the  Varennes  road  was  taken.  In  Varennes  an 
officer  reported  to  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  Headquarters 
for  instructions  and  was  directed  to  take  the  main  army  road 
to  Baulny.  From  here  on  the  march  was  a  succession  of  exas- 
perating delays  caused  by  the  almost  hopeless  congestion  of 
traffic  on  the  army  road.  The  column  was  split  into  several 
parts  by  convoys  of  trucks.  The  march  from  a  point  just  south 
of  Baulny  to  I'Esp^rance  v/as  under  continuous  shell  fire.  The 
net  result  of  the  combined  adversities  of  tlie  night  was  that  it 
was  5  hours  20  (October  7)  before  the  first  battery  commenced 
firing  and  8  hours  before  the  last  battery  came  into  action.  The 
total  distance  marched  from  the  Four-aux-Moines  was  20 
kilometers. 

The  319th  Field  Artillery,  at  the  rear  of  the  column,  started 
the  movement  about  dark.  It  was  after  daylight  before  the 
first  batteries  were  extricated  from  the  tangled  confusion  of 
traffic  on  the  army  road  and  placed  in  position  between  Baulny 
and  Charpentry.  One  battery  of  the  1st  Battalion  started  firing 
before  7  hours  and  was  soon  joined  by  the  remainder  of  the 
1st  and  2nd  Battalions.  The  3rd  Battalion  moved  into  position 
the  following  night. 

There  had  been  no  time  on  the  daylight  hours  of  the  6th 
for  the  selection  of  observation  posts.  Having  come  into  position 
after  dark,  and  with  visibility  in  the  early  morning  very  poor, 
it  was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  batteries  were 
oriented.  Not  only  the  batteries  but  the  messengers  carrying 
the  firing  orders  to  the  regiments  and  battalions  were  delayed 
by  darkness  and  traffic  jams,  and  it  was  5  hours  40 — 40  minutes 
after  "H"  hour— before  batteries  of  the  320th,  the  first  in  posi- 
tion, were  able  to  start  firing.  The  rolling  barrage  ordered  for 
"H"  hour  (5  o'clock)  was  to  be  fired  by  the  320th,  the  321st 
and  the  6th  Field  Artillery  of  the  1st  Division.  It  was  to  begin 
200  meters  west  of  the  railroad,  west  of  Aire  River,  and  progress 
at  the  rapid  rate  of  100  meters  in  three  minutes  to  the  first 
objective  of  Cornay  and  Hill  223.  This  line  was  to  be  reached 
on  schedule  by  about  "H"  plus  30,  the  barrage  standing  on  this 
line.    It  was  on  or  near  this  line,  therefore,  that  the  first  firing 


234  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

by  the  320th  and  321st  was  done.  This  ceased  at  "H"  plus 
1  hour  15  minutes,  when  searching  fire  was  executed  until  "H'* 
plus  3  hours  between  the  first  objective  and  the  Corps  objective, 
along  the  Decauville  Railroad.  The  batteries  were  in  action 
intermittently  all  day  long  in  response  to  calls  from  the  Infantry. 
The  319th  placed  heavy  coacentration  near  Chatel-Chehery  and 
on  Cornay  and  other  enemy  positions.  At  18  hours,  the  321st 
and  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  320th,  at  the  request  of  the  Com- 
manding General,  164th  Inf.  Br.,  executed  a  barrage  on  the  west 
slope  of  Hill  223  to  oppose  a  German  counter-attack.  The  In- 
fantry reported  the  following  morning  that  they  found  two 
companies  of  Boche  had  been  practically  annihilated.  Defensive 
barrages  and  harassing  fire  on  enemy  sensitive  points  were 
delivered  during  the  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th  observation  posts  were  established 
on  Hill  224.  Liaison  ofiicers  were  sent  by  the  artillery  regiments 
to  the  Headquarters  of  the  164th  Brigade  and  to  the  327th  and 
328th  Infantries,  and  telephone  communication  was  established 
with  the  164th  Brigade  as  well  as  within  the  artillery  brigade. 
It  being  realized  that  the  regiments  could  not  lay  telephone 
lines  back  to  the  artillery  P.C.  at  Varennes,  Lieutenant  Watts, 
the  Brigade  Telephone  Officer,  established  a  forward  Brigade 
central  at  Baulny. 

For  the  attack  of  October  8  a  rolling  barrage  from  just  in 
front  of  the  infantry  jump-ofC  line  to  the  Decauville  Railroad 
was  fired  by  the  321st  and  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  320th,  while 
the  1st  Battalion  of  the  320th  and  the  219th  R.A.C.  (French) 
fired  a  standing  barrage  along  a  2  kilometer  east-and-west  line 
just  north  of  Cornay,  to  protect  the  right  flank  of  the  327tll 
Infantry.  The  319th  fired  concentrations  on  Cornay,  the  southern 
slopes  of  Champrocher  ridge,  Marcq,  and  battery  positions  and 
sensitive  points  to  the  north  and  west.  Cornay,  however,  proved 
a  stumbling  block  to  the  infantry's  advance  and  just  before  11 
hours  a  heavy  concentration  of  almost  the  entire  Brigade  was 
placed  on  the  town  and  the  heights  overlooking  it.  This  fire 
silenced  machine  guns  and  trench  mortars  in  the  town  and 
enabled  the  327th  Infantry  to  enter  it.  Throughout  the  day  the 
wooded  slopes  west  and  southwest  of  Cornay  which  sheltered 
the  machine-gun  nests  that  were  playing  such  havoc  with  our 
infantry  were  deluged  with  fire.  Harassing  fire  again  continued 
throughout  the  night. 

The  attack  of  the  326th  Infantry,  which  had  relieved  the  28th 
Division,    on    October    9th    was    supported    by    the    53rd    Field 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  235 

Artillery  Brigade,  while  the  320th  and  321st  fired  a  rolling  bar- 
rage for  the  attack  of  the  327th  and  328th  Infantries.  A  heavy 
concentration  on  troublesome  machine  gun  nests  on  the  top  of 
the  Champrocher  ridge,  just  southwest  of  Cornay,  was  fired 
between  11.45  and  noon.  It  was  on  this  afternoon  that  a  vigor- 
ous German  counter-attack  from  the  north  resulted  in  the  recap- 
ture of  Cornay. 

Two  hours  of  preparation  fire  preceded  the  Infantry  advance 
of  October  10,  when  the  325th  Infantry  relieved  the  327th  and 
328th,  and,  with  the  326th  on  their  left,  attacked  at  7  hours 
behind  a  rolling  })arrage.  Advancing  with  little  resistance  to 
the  ridges  north  of  Cornay,  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  their 
patrols  reached  the  Aire  and  the  enemy  was  definitely  cleared 
from  this  portion  of  the  Argonne. 

In  the  course  of  the  10th  instructions  were  received  for  prep« 
arations  for  the  attack  of  the  11th,  when  the  Division  sector 
was  shifted  eastward  astride  the  Aire  River.  Up  to  this  time 
the  batteries  had  remained  in  the  positions  occupied  on  the 
morning  of  the  7th.  The  direction  of  attack,  however,  had  now 
been  changed  from  due  west  to  due  north  and  a  rapid  advance 
was  expected  to  result  from  the  attack  of  the  morning.  Recon- 
naissances were  conducted,  accordingly,  for  new  positions  farther 
to  the  north.  During  the  night  of  the  10-llth  the  320th  Field 
Artillery  moved  by  battalions  to  the  ravine  west  of  Exermont, 
while  the  321st  took  up  new  positions  in  the  east  and  west 
ravine,  just  southeast  of  Fleville.  The  1st  Battalion  of  the 
319th  took  position  near  Apremont,  the  2nd  and  3rd  Battalions 
going  to  Chatel-Ch^h^ry.  The  next  morning  the  1st  Battalion 
took  position  near  Exermont.  Division  Field  Order  No.  23  of 
October  10  for  the  attack  of  the  next  day  ordered  the  artillery: 

"To  keep  harassing  and  interdiction  fire  in  front  of  the  ad- 
vancing infantry  and  to  fire  on  all  towns  and  important  cross 
roads  and  special  targets.  Artillery  liaison  oflicers  with  Infantry 
commanders  will  keep  artillery  commanders  constantly  informed 
of  the  infantry  positions.  One  regiment  of  75  mm.  field 
artillery  to  be  assigned  by  artillery  brigade  commander  who 
will  support  the  attack  of  each  infantry  brigade.  One  forward 
gun  will  accompany  each  front  line  Battalion.  Artillery  ob- 
servers will  move  forward  with  the  advanced  infantry  line  for 
the  purpose  of  directing  fire  of  supporting  batteries.  All  artillery 
will  open  fire  at  'H'  hour  and  pass  under  the  control  of  the 
artillery  brigade  commander  as  soon  as  the  action  stabilizes. 
Full  advantage  will  be  taken  of  the  open  terrain  for  advancing 
by   echelon   the   supporting   artillery." 

The  320th  Field  Artillery  was  assigned  to  support  the  164t]i 


236  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Brigade,  and  the  321st  the  163rd  Brigade,  and  preparations  were 
made  for  the  advance  of  a  portion  of  the  artillery  immediately 
after  "H"  hour. 

The  Field  Order  of  the  164th  Brigade  assigned  one  battalion 
of  the  supporting  Artillery,  the  320th,  to  the  two  Infantry  Regi- 
ments as  accompanying  artillery.  The  first  Battalion  of  the 
320th,  accordingly,  moved  forward  early  in  the  morning  and 
went  into  position  near  Fleville,  with  two  forward  platoons 
nearly  a  kilometer  north  of  that  town.  Visibility  w^as  poor  on 
account  of  mist  and  observation  and  identification  of  machine- 
gun  targets  was  difficult  throughout  the  day. 

Not  only  was  no  rolling  barrage  ordered  but,  as  it  turned  out, 
it  would  have  been  of  doubtful  value,  the  infantry  meeting 
serious  resistance  from  south  of  the  assigned  jump-off  line.  The 
heavy  machine-gun  fire  which  the  infantry  suffered  from  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Juvin,  outside  of  the  Division  sector,  resulted  in 
an  increasing  amount  of  fire  being  diverted  to  this  vicinity  and 
Hill  182  to  the  north,  where  60  per  cent,  of  the  fire  for  the  day 
was  delivered. 

Frequent  reports  were  received  during  the  day  that  friendly 
artillery  was  falling  on  the  ridge  at  85.5  and  causing  losses  to 
our  infantry.  Though  this  was  carefully  checked  up  in  the  157th 
Field  Artillery  Brigade  and  it  was  made  certain  that  no  bat- 
teries were  firing  in  this  vicinity  at  the  times  indicated,  the 
reports  continued  with  such  persistence  that  in  the  evening  all 
firing  was  stopped  within  the  Brigade  for  one  hour  and  a 
thorough  investigation  was  made  in  the  Divisions  on  both  flanks 
and  in  the  Artillery  farther  to  the  rear,  with  the  result  indicated 
in  the  following  messages,  copied  from  the  G-3  dossier: 

Telephone  message  from  Albany  A-1  (Commanding  General, 
157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade)  at  21.20  o'clock,  11  October: 

"During  the  preceding  hour  none  of  the  Regiments  under  his 
command  has  fired  a  shot.    At  same  time  a  message  from  Anson 

I  (C.G.  164th  Brigade)  states  that  during  same  period  the  fire 
on  troops  of  Anson  I's  command  was  continued  unabated.  This 
seems  to  prove  conclusively  that  the  fire  on  our  own  troops  was 
not  done  by  artillery  of  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade.  The 
Brigade  Commander  requests  that  this  vindication  be  given  the 
same  nublicity  which  was  given  to  the  memorandum  complaining 
of  hostile  fire." 

Extract  from  Message  to  Colonel  MacArthur  at  20.20  o'clock, 

II  October   (from  Division  Headquarters). 

"In  regard  to  statement  that  our  troops  w^ere  being  fired  on  by 
friendly   artillery,   please   notify  all   concerned  that  the  matter 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  237 

has  been  carefully  checked  right  and  left  and  all  the  way  to 
the  rear,  and  none  of  our  artillery  is  firing  in  that  region.  Troops 
were  suffering  under  enemy  shell  fire  unquestionably." 

Excellent  work  was  accomplished  on  this  day  and  the  days 
following  by  the  forward  gun  from  Battery  E,  321st  F.A.,  under 
1st  Lt.  Prentiss  S.  Edwards.  He  took  position  on  the  early 
morning  in  an  orchard  about  1200  meters  south  of  St.  Juvin 
and  on  a  road  just  east  of  Marcq.  Three  important  machine- 
gun  targets  were  successfully  attacked  during  the  morning.  Dur- 
ing the  night  of  October  11-12  the  gun  was  withdrawn  to  a 
position  on  the  reverse  slope  of  the  crest  where  the  road  runs 
west  from  Martincourt  Farm.  This  gun  remained  at  work  con- 
tinuously until  about  October  22,  changing  position  frequently. 
Close  liaison  was  maintained  with  the  326th  Infantry,  but  the 
majority  of  targets  fired  on  were  obtained  by  direct  observation 
and  a  post  which  was  maintained  at  the  Division  O.P.  near 
Marcq.  At  least  eight  machine-gun  targets  were  destroyed.  On 
one  occasion  a  small  ravine  into  which  twenty  Boche  were  seen 
to  enter  was  taken  under  fire.  Only  five  Boche  left  the  ravine. 
On  October  19  fire  was  directed  at  four  machine  gunners  stand- 
ing beneath  a  small  tree.  A  direct  hit  was  obtained  on  the  tree 
and  all  four  men  either  killed  or  disabled.  Much  sniping  fire 
was  executed  on  groups  of  men  and  wagons  on  the  road  running 
north  from  Champigneuelle.  A  total  of  657  rounds  were  fired 
by  this  piece. 

The  infantry  devoted  the  12th  to  the  consolidation  of  their 
position  on  Ridge  85.5.  Most  of  the  artillery  fire  for  the  day 
was  on  crossroads  and  suspected  machine-gun  positions.  New 
O.P.'s  were  established,  P.O.  moved  forward,  and  defensive  bar- 
rages were  adjusted  in  front  of  the  infantry  line.  Throughout 
the  night  of  October  12-13  a  number  of  small  patches  of  woods 
west  of  St.  Georges  and  along  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  and  the 
Fishhook  Ravine  were  heavilr  gassed  and  in  the  morning  the 
same  areas  were  harassed  with  H.E.  and  shrapnel.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  13th  the  Brigade  was  ordered  to  make  six 
25-meter  openings  in  the  enemy  barbed  wire  protecting  the 
Kriemhilde  Stellung.  This  mission  was  assigned  to  the  238th 
R.A.C.  (French).  The  cutting  had  hardly  begun  when  the  Boche 
put  on  a  spectacular  counter-attack,  supported  by  a  heavy  bar- 
rage. On  the  call  of  the  infantry  both  the  320th  and  321st 
responded  with  a  defensive  barrage  200  meters  in  front  of  the 
infantry  line.  It  was  afterward  reported  that  this  barrage 
was  extremely  effective,  resulting  in  the  repulse  of  the  attack. 


238  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

During  the  afternoon  and  evening  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  320th 
Field  Artillery,  less  Battery  E,  moved  forward  to  positions  south 
of  Sommerance.  The  movement  of  Battery  E  was  delayed  by 
the  counter-attack.  A  heavy  program  of  harassing  fire  and  gas 
on  wooded  areas  was  maintained  throughout  the  night. 

On  October  14  a  general  attack  was  made  by  the  First  Army 
in  an  attempt  to  carry  the  Kriemhilde  Stellung  positions.  The 
attack,  which  began  at  8  hours  30  minutes,  was  preceded  by  two 
hours  of  combing  fire  on  enemy  works,  assembly  areas  and  com- 
munications. Visibility  was  fair  and  considerable  shrapnel  w^as 
used.  The  rolling  barrage  for  this  attack,  which  was  fired  by 
the  320th,  321st,  and  the  238th  R.A.C.  (French)  over  a  2% 
kilometer  front,  moved  at  a  rate  of  100  meters  in  six  minutes, 
the  rate  of  100  meters  in  three  minutes  which  had  been  ordered 
in  all  previous  attacks  having  been  proved  much  too  rapid. 
About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  320th  fired  a  30-minute 
defensive  barrage  along  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres.  A  forward  gun 
under  the  command  of  2nd  Lt.  Edward  F.  Gunter,  320th  F.A., 
during  this  attack  destroyed  two  pill  boxes.  Heavy  fire  on 
woods,  back  areas  and  communications  was  continued  through- 
out the  afternoon  and  night.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  14th  the 
S19th  and  321st  Field  Artillery  and  the  remaining  batteries  of 
the  320th  moved  forward  to  the  Ravine  which  runs  from  Fleville 
to  Sommerance. 

On  the  15th  the  attack  to  break  through  the  Kriemhilde 
Stellung  was  continued.  Artillery  preparation  started  about  mid- 
night October  14-15.  It  covered  crossroads  and  other  sensitive 
points,  while  w^oods  and  ravines  known  to  be  occupied  by  the 
enemy  were  gassed  with  non-persistent  gas  at  "H"  minus  4 
hours.  "H"  hour  was  7.30.  A  barrage  similar  to  that  of  the 
preceding  day  was  placed  in  front  of  the  jump-off  line  at  "H" 
minus  5  minutes,  advancing  with  the  infantry  at  *'H"  hour.  Very 
heavy  enemy  resistance  was  met,  particularly  in  the  Ravin  aux 
Pierres,  and  after  a  short  advance  the  entire  attack  was  held 
up.  The  artillery  had  been  moved  up  close  to  the  infantry  for 
this  operation  and  suffered  severely  from  gas  and  shrapnel.  In 
the  afternoon  the  325th  Infantry  made  a  second  unsuccessful 
attack  to  cross  the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  behind  a  barrage  fired 
by  the  321st  and  the  328th  R.A.C. 

The  attack  was  continued  on  the  16th,  the  preparation  fire 
and  rolling  barrage  being  almost  a  repetition  of  those  of  the 
previous  two  days.  A  heavy  German  counter-attack  was  made 
at  11  hours  which  was  broken  up  by  a  rapidly  delivered  artillery 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  239 

barrage.  A  Boche  plane  was  brought  down  in  flames  near  Som- 
merance  in  the  afternoon  of  the  16th  by  machine-gun  fire  from 
a  battery  of  this  Brigade.  Battery  C,  320th  F.A.,  and  the  bat- 
teries of  the  2nd  Battalion,  321st  F.A.,  all  claim  the  honor  of 
having  fired  the  winning  shot. 

There  was  very  little  activity  on  the  17th.  A  defensive  bar- 
rage was  put  down  just  south  of  parallel  88  on  the  Division 
front.  Most  of  the  fire  of  that  day  was  delivered  at  the  request 
of  the  infantry  on  machine-gun  nests  and  wooded  patches.  The 
238th  R.A.C.  (French)  was  relieved  by  the  219th  (French)  Port^. 
On  this  day,  Lieutenant  Durrett,  320th  F.A.,  was  killed  by  shell 
fire  at  the  echelon,  this  being  the  only  death  of  an  officer  that 
the  Brigade  suffered  at  the  front.  During  the  nights  of  October 
17-18  and  October  18-19  heavy  concentrations  of  both  mustard 
and  non-persistent  gas  were  placed  on  Champigneulle  in  connec- 
tion with  the  attacks  on  the  Bois  des  Loges  by  the  78th  Division, 
which  had  relieved  the  77th  Division  on  our  left. 

In  the  meantime  it  was  realized  that  the  Kriemhilde  Stellung 
could  only  be  broken  through  by  a  heavy  and  coordinated  attack 
in  force  by  fresh  divisions,  and  our  infantry  were  organizing 
their  positions  for  defense.  The  Brigade  had  suffered  numerous 
casualties  in  their  advanced  positions  and,  on  the  night  of 
October  21-22  the  1st  Battalions  of  both  the  320th  and  321st 
were  withdrawn  to  positions  farther  in  the  rear.  From  this 
time  until  the  offensive  of  November  1  conditions  for  the  artil- 
lery closely  approached  those  of  stabilized  warfare.  Light 
harassing  schedules  were  fired  at  night  and  close  and  constant 
liaison  was  maintained  with  front  line  infantry  battalion  com- 
manders, at  whose  call  numerous  missions  were  executed,  the 
targets  being,  for  the  most  part,  machine-gun  emplacements.  On 
October  23  another  attack  by  the  78th  Division  was  supported 
by  this  Brigade,  by  fire  on  the  Bois  des  Loges  and  Hill  214, 
the  219th  R.A.C.  (French)  laying  down  a  smoke  screen.  Between 
October  18  and  31  numerous  attempts  were  made  to  carry  out 
adjustments  with  aeroplane  observation,  but  the  results  were 
very  disappointing,  only  one  fairly  successful  reguage  being 
secured.  The  319th  Field  Artillery,  however,  obtained  very  satis- 
factory results  from  adjustments  by  balloon  observers.  A  balloon 
from  which  Maj.  John  H.  Wallace,  commanding  the  1st  Bat- 
talion, 319th  F.A.,  was  adjusting  fire,  was  shot  down  by  a  Boche 
plane.  Major  Wallace  making  a  successful  descent  by  parachute. 

On  October  26  the  Brigade  received  advance  information  of 
the  general  attack  on  November  1  and  work  was  begun  on  the 


240  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

plan  of  employment.  In  preparing  for  this  attack  one  gun  from 
each  battery  of  the  75  regiments  was  moved  forward  several 
days  before  to  positions  later  to  be  occupied  by  the  entire  Bat- 
tery, and  adjustments  for  the  Battery  were  carried  out  witii 
this  gun.  The  movements  were  made  at  night  and  the  guns 
were  carefully  camouflaged. 

Brigadier  General  Rhodes  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major 
General  on  October  16  and  on  October  25  was  transferred  to  the 
42nd  Division.  Colonel  Pearce  of  the  319th  again  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  Brigade,  a  position  which  he  held  until  the  arrival 
of  Brig.   Gen.   Daniel  F.  Craig  on  November  3. 

On  October  30  the  82nd  Division,  less  the  157th  Field  Artillery 
Brigade  and  the  307th  Ammunition  Train,  was  relieved  by  the 
80th  Division,  which  the  excepted  organizations  remained  in  line 
to  support.  On  the  night  of  October  30-31  the  batteries  were 
moved  forward  to  positions  close  behind  the  infantry.  The 
Brigade  was  assigned  two  batteries  of  the  69th  C.A.C.  (9.2  inch), 
six  batteries  of  the  247th  R.A.C.  (French)  and  the  219th  R.A.C. 
(French).  The  247th  was  attached  from  "H"  plus  2  hours  on 
"D"  day  to  0  hour,  "D"  plus  1  day. 

The  attack  of  the  First  Army  on  November  1  was  intended 
to  break  the  enemy's  last  line  of  resistance  soath  of  the  Meuse. 
It  was  to  be  an  enveloping  attack  from  the  right,  the  Fifth 
Corps  on  our  right  leading  the  80th  Division,  while  the  78th 
Division,  on  the  extreme  left  both  of  the  1st  Corps  and  of 
the  1st  Army,  was  to  make  but  a  small  advance  on  the  right 
of  its  sector  on  the  first  day,  advancing  with  the  balance  of 
the  line,  however,  on  the  following  day.  The  first  objective  of 
the  80th  Division  was  the  high  ground  between  Im^court  and 
Alliepont,  a  commanding  height  known  to  be  heavily  infested 
with  machine-gun  nests.  The  Corps  objective  was  the  high 
ground  to  the  north  of  Sivry-lez-Buzancy.  The  160th  Infantry 
Brigade,  consisting  of  the  319th  and  320th  Infantries,  was  the 
attacking  Brigade.  The  Artillery  plan  for  the  attack  was  quite 
elaborate.  Batteries  E  and  F  of  the  321st  Field  Artillery  were 
assigned  as  accompanying  batteries,  one  accompanying  gun  being 
assigned  to  each  of  the  two  infantry  regiments.  The  fire  of 
the  remainder  of  the  Brigade  was  divided  into  three  phases. 

"Phase  A,"  the  preparation  fire,  began  at  "H"  minus  2  hours 
(3.30  hours),  and  for  the  first  hour  consisted  of  harassing  fire 
on  roads,  sensitive  points  in  the  rear  areas,  machine-gun  nests, 
and  woods.  From  "H"  minus  1  hour  to  "H"  hour  the  woods 
north   and   northwest   of   Imecourt   were  heavily   gassed,   while 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  241 

the  219th  R.A.O.    (French)   fired  a  smoke  screen  on  the  woods 
and  heights  along  the  first  objective. 

"Phase  B"  was  scheduled  to  begin  at  "H"  hour  (5.30  hours) 
and  consisted  of  accompanying  barrage  fire  in  support  of  the 
initial  infantry  attack.  This  fire  was  not  to  be  delivered  over 
the  whole  area  in  front  of  the  infantry  advance,  but  only  in 
certain  zones  where  serious  resistance  was  expected.  The  rate 
of  advance  was  100  meters  in  six  minutes  to  the  first  objective, 
at  which  time  the  247th  R.A.C.  (French)  came  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Brigade  and,  with  the  219th  R.A.C.  (French),  fired 
a  box  barrage  in  front  of  this  objective. 

"Phase  C"  was  planned  to  support  the  infantry  attack  from 
this  point  to  the  second  objective,  and  again  consisted  of  an 
accompanying  barrage  over  selected  zones.  Forward  movements 
by  battalions  were  scheduled,  the  320th  making  the  first  move 
at  **H"  plus  3  hours  15  minutes  to  positions  south  of  Im^court. 

This  fire  was  not  delivered  without  incident.  The  advance  of 
the  320th  Infantry  and  that  of  the  77th  Division  on  the  left 
were  halted  by  machine-gun  fire  in  the  difficult  terrain  around 
the  Ravin  aux  Plerres,  and  it  was  not  until  early  afternoon  that 
the  Ravin  aux  Pierres  was  actually  crossed.  The  advance  was 
again  held  up  by  machine-gun  resistance  from  the  woods  on 
Hill  214.  As  a  result  of  these  delays  the  advance  of  the  barrage 
fire  was  held  up  on  infantry  request  for  a  total  of  190  minutes, 
which  was  added  to  the  time  schedule  of  Phase  C.  The  forward 
movement  of  batteries  was  similarly  delayed  and  they  finally 
moved  to  positions  north  of  St.  Georges  in  the  afternoon  and 
during  the  night  of  November  1-2.  Meanwhile,  the  319th  In- 
fantry, in  liaison  with  the  2nd  Division,  had  moved  forward 
rapidly  and  combat  liaison  between  the  319th  and  320th  In- 
fantries had  been  lost  and  a  large  gap  had  developed  between 
the  two  regiments.  It  was  in  this  gap  that  the  batteries  of 
the  320th  Field  Artillery  and  321st  Field  Artillery,  and  part 
of  the  319th  Field  Artillery,  in  the  darkness,  unknowingly  took 
position.  During  the  night  all  these  batteries  suffered  from 
heavy  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire,  and  battery  anti-air  craft 
machine  guns  were  used  to  cover  the  gap.  This  situation  was 
relieved  by  the  rapid  advance  of  the  infantry  the  following 
morning.  The  accompanying  guns  were  placed  in  position  on 
the  night  of  October  31-November  1.  Close  liaison  with  the 
front  line  battalion  commanders,  by  telephone  and  runner,  was 
established,  an  observer  being  kept  with  the  battalion  com- 
mander  for   the   purpose   of   adjusting   fire.     No   targets   were 


242  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

assigned,  however,  and  no  requests  for  specific  fire  were  made 
during  the  first  two  days.  Neither  were  the  accompanying  bat- 
teries really  used  as  such,  though  the  two  battery  commanders 
established  their  posts  of  command  with  the  respective  infantry 
regimental  commanders  to  whom  they  were  assigned,  maintain- 
ing direct  liaison  with  their  batteries  by  telephone  and  runners. 

On  the  morning  of  November  2  the  attack  was  resumed  at 
8  hours.  There  was  no  artillery  preparation,  but  the  barrage 
was  fired  from  a  point  just  north  of  Sivry,  following  a  general 
northerly  direction  into  Buzancy.  The  barrage  was  preceded 
by  concentrations  of  both  heavy  and  light  artillery  on  enemy 
sensitive  points.  By  this  time  the  enemy  was  in  full  retreat 
and  all  artillery  moved  forward.  Before  the  next  morning  the 
entire  Brigade  had  come  into  position  in  the  vicinity  of  Ime- 
court,  commanding  officers  of  all  three  regiments  having  P.C.'s 
In  that  town.  In  the  course  of  the  night  contact  had  practically 
been  lost  with  the  enemy.  Owing  to  the  congestion  of  the  roads 
and  their  terrible  condition  from  shell  fire  it  was  impossible  to 
supply  more  than  one  regiment  with  ammunition.  Accordingly, 
the  321st  Field  Artillery,  with  the  3rd  Battalion  of  the  319th 
attached,  was  assigned  to  support  the  Divisional  infantry,  which 
on  November  3  consisted  of  the  159th  Brigade.  A  conference 
was  held  between  the  Regimental  Commander  of  the  321st  and 
the  Infantry  Brigade  Commander.  The  only  artillery  support 
that  the  latter  desired  was  two  accompanying  guns  with  each 
of  the  two  infantry  regiments  in  line.  These  guns  were  furnished 
from  the  Second  Battalion  and  accompanied  closely  the  infantry 
advanced  on  the  morning  of  November  '6,  at  times  preceding  the 
first  wave  without  encountering  serious  enemy  resistance.  Diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  targets,  however,  was  again  experienced.  On 
November  4  the  infantry  continued  to  advance  with  but  little 
rear-guard  resistance  from  the  rapidly  retreating  enemy.  Orders 
were  issued  to  each  of  the  artillery  battalion  commanders  to 
follow  with  his  batteries  at  a  distance  of  from  2000  to  3000 
yards  behind  the  infantry  front  line,  maintaining  close  liaison 
with  the  infantry  commanders  and  going  into  position  in  case 
the  advance  should  be  held  up. 

During  the  night  of  November  3-4  harassing  fire  was  directed 
on  the  edge  of  woods  north  of  Les  Taronnes  Farm,  and  on  the 
following  morning  some  very  effective  observed  fire  was  executed 
on  enemy  machine  guns  in  the  vicinity  of  La  Polka  Farm.  The 
Brigade  P.C.  moved  to  Buzancy  in  the  afternoon.  No  telephone 
lines  were  laid  due  to  the  extremely  rapid  advance  of  the  in- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  243 

fantry.  The  219th  and  247th  (French)  reported  that  they  were 
unable  to  advance  with  the  Brigade  due  to  the  state  of  their 
transportation,  and  were  relieved.  One  battalion  of  French  105 
guns,  horse-drawn,  was  assigned  to  the  Brigade,  but  due  to 
the  congestion  on  the  roads  this  unit  was  also  released  by  the 
Division  Commander.  Great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  get- 
ting up  ammunition.  One  trip  from  Buzancy  to  Apremont  by 
the   Ammunition   Train   required   thirty-six   hours. 

The  320th  Field  Artillery,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had  been 
in  reserve,  moved  on  November  3  to  positions  north  of  Sivry- 
lez-Buzancy.  This  Regiment  again  moved  forward  on  November 
4.  At  about  11  hours  it  was  found  that  the  infantry  advance 
had  been  held  up  along  the  ravine  southwest  of  Sommauthe  by 
machine-gun  fire  from  Ferme  Polka,  Ferme  d'Isly,  and  the  woods 
along  the  ravine  Pre  Billet  and  around  Source  Grosjean.  The 
Regimental  Commander  accordingly  ordered  the  1st  Battalion 
into  position  and,  about  noon.  Battery  C  fired  on  these  machine- 
gun  positions.  This  fire  was  observed  and  adjusted.  At  15 
hours  the  2nd  Battalion  also  went  into  position,  and  at  16  hours 
the  entire  regiment,  on  request  of  the  318th  Infantry,  fired 
a  rolling  barrage  in  support  of  the  infantry  advance.  This  fire 
was  continued  for  80  minutes,  2600  rounds  being  expended.  At 
about  17  hours  fifty  rounds  of  "D"  shell  were  fired  on  Stonne 
at  a  range  of  10,500  meters,  word  having  been  received  that  that 
town  was  congested  with  German  troops.  No  more  "D"  shell 
was  available. 

On  the  morning  of  November  5  the  320th  Field  Artillery,  with 
two  guns  per  battery  of  the  3rd  Battalion,  319th  F.A.,  attached, 
relieved  the  321st  Field  Artillery  in  support  of  the  entire  in- 
fantry of  the  Division.  This  was  the  last  day  in  which  any 
considerable  firing  was  done  by  this  Brigade.  The  entire  Regi- 
ment moved  forward  in  the  morning  in  close  support  of  the 
infantry,  the  1st  Battalion  on  the  left  and  the  2nd  Battalion 
on  the  right.  In  the  afternoon  Battery  B  went  into  position 
just  south  of  the  Stonne-Beaumont  Road  and  fired  on  the 
village  of  Yoncq.  At  11  hours  the  2nd  Battalion  went  into 
position  1%  kilometers  southwest  of  Beaumont  and  fired  at  the 
request  of  tlie  317th  Infantry  on  machine-gun  nests  near  La 
Thibaudine  Ferme  and  La  Harnot  Erie  Ferme.  After  nightfall, 
at  the  request  of  the  2nd  Division,  500  rounds  were  fired  on 
Yoncq. 

In  the  afternoon  of  November  5,  1st  Lt.  George  S.  Blair  took 
forward  an  accompanying  gun  which  fired  effectively  on  machine- 


244  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

gun  nests.  On  the  following  morning  he  took  this  gun  forward 
with  the  18th  Infantry,  which  had  relieved  the  318th  Infantry, 
and  placed  it  in  position  on  the  southeastern  slope  of  Mont  de 
Brune,  which  point  marked  the  farthest  advance  of  any  unit 
of  the  Brigade  during  the  operation.  From  this  position  be- 
tween 9  and  12  hours  November  6,  direct  hits  were  scored  on 
a  church  steeple  in  Mouzon  in  which  machine  guns  were  located. 
Enemy  observation  posts  across  the  Meuse  River  were  also  fired 
on.  This  was  the  only  firing  executed  by  the  Brigade  on 
November  6.  In  the  afternoon  this  gun  was  heavily  shelled 
by  an  enemy  battery.  On  being  bracketed  for  range  Lieutenant 
Blair  withdrew  his  men.  The  gun  and  one  caisson  were  struck, 
the  gun  being  rendered  unserviceable. 

On  November  6  the  80th  Division  was  relieved  by  the  1st 
Division  and  on  November  8  and  9  the  157th  Field  Artillery 
Brigade  proceeded  to  the  area  Sivry-Imecourt-St.  Juvin.  On 
November  10  the  Brigade  marched  to  the  area  of  Montblainville- 
Apremont,  and  continued  the  march  the  following  day  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Les  Islettes,  where  news  of  the  armistice  was 
received.  The  Trench  Mortar  Battery  which  had  remained  at 
Fleville  rejoined  the  Brigade  at  this  time.  It  had  not  served 
as  a  unit  but  had  rendered  excellent  assistance  to  the  Ammuni- 
tion Train  in  the  arduous  operations  of  that  organization  during 
the  preceding  weeks.  Details  were  also  sent  from  this  Battery 
at  various  times  to  take  over  captured  Boche  artillery  and  am- 
munition and  turn  them  on  their  former  owners. 

The  Brigade  remained  near  Les  Islettes  until  November  18, 
and  then  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Ste.  Menehould  to  await  orders 
to  rejoin  the  82nd  Division.  These  orders  did  not  arrive  for 
nearly  a  month  and  the  Brigade  finally  arrived  in  the  Tenth 
Training  area  and  rejoined  the  Division  on  December  17. 

The  work  of  the  xirtillery  Brigade  while  with  the  80th  Divi- 
sion had  in  the  meantime  been  commended  in  the  following 
terms : 

Headquabtebs    Eightieth    Division    American    Expeditionaby 

Forces 

France,  12th  December,  1918. 
From:      Commanding  General,  80th  Division. 
To:  Commanding  General,  82nd  Division. 

Subject:  Commendation  of  Artillery  Brigade. 

1.  I  desire  to  convey  to  you  recognition  of  the  excellent  service 
done  by  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  while  serving  with 
the  Division  east  of  the  Argonne,  November  1  to  6,  1918. 

2.  The  efllcient  cooperation  with  the  infantry,  extending  to  its 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  245 

close  support  by  guns,  batteries  and  battalions  pushed  well  to 
the  front,  contributed  the  full  artillery  share  to  the  successful 
operations  of  the  Division,   and  maintained  the  high  standard 
of  the  82nd  Division  and  of  the  Field  Artillery. 
3.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  acknowledge  this  service. 

S.  D.  Sturgis, 
Major  General. 
1st  Ind. 
Hq.  82d  Division,  American  E.  F.  France,  21  December,  1918^ 
To  Commanding  General,  157th  F.  A.  Brigade. 

To  note  and  return.    The  Division  commander  notes  with  pride 
the  excellent  work  of  the  Brigade. 
By  Command  of  Major  General  Duncan: 

R.  L.  Boyd, 
Major,  A.G.D.,  Adjutant. 
2nd  Ikd. 
Hq.  157th  F.  A.  Brigade,  American  E.  F.  France,  24th  December, 
1918 — To  Organization  Commanders. 

1.  In  forwarding  an  official  copy  of  the  above  letter  to  organiza- 
tion commanders  the  Brigade  Commander  wishes  to  add  his 
appreciation  of  the  splendid  zeal  and  fighting  spirit  of  the  157th 
throughout  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive.  His  pleasure  and  pride 
in  the  above  commendation  is  increased  by  his  knowledge  that 
although  the  Brigade  had  been  in  the  line  without  an  hour's 
relief  since  October  6th  it  found  no  difficulty  in  matching  the 
energy  and  determination  to  advance  of  the  fresh  division  it 
was  called  upon  to  support. 

(Sgd.)   E.  D'A.  Peaece, 
Colonel,  F.  A.,  U.  S.  A., 
Commanding. 

*  —!1  April,  *1919. 
We,  the  commanding  officer  and  Historical  Officer  of  the 
Artillery  units  of  the  82nd  Division,  certify  that  we  have  read 
the  history  of  operations  of  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade, 
prepared  for  the  82nd  Division  History  by  Capt.  J.  G.  Penny- 
packer,  F.A.,  and  that  this  is  an  accurate  statement  of  those 
operations. 

E.  D'A.  Pearce, 

CoL,  319th  F.A.,  for  319th  F.A.,  and  151th  F.A. 
Brig. 
H.  C.  Williams, 

Cmdg.  320th  F.A. 
Samltjl  R.  Dighton, 

Capt.,  320th  F.A.,  Operations  Offloer. 
James  L.  Fey, 

Major    Cmdg.,   2nd   Bn,,    321st   F.A.,    Commander 
321st  F.A.,  Mar.  9-Apr.  8,  1919. 
John  R.  Slatee, 

Captain   and   Adj.,   321st   F.A.^   Acting   Historical 
OMcer. 


246  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION 

III 

ADMINISTRATIVE    AND    SUPPLY    FUNCTIONS    OP    THE 
S2ND  DIVISION 

CONTEIBTJTED    BY 

Major  P.  T.  Robson,  Acting  G-1. 

The  administrative  department  or  section  of  tlie  General  Staff 
of  a  Division  is  in  charge  of  an  officer  known  as  G-1.  This  de- 
partment is  cliarged  with  all  the  administrative  and  supply  func- 
tions and  correlates  the  work  of  the  Adjutant's  office,  Military- 
Police,  Billeting,  Quartermaster,  Ordnance,  Engineer,  Medical 
and  Signal  Departments. 

Lt.  Col.  Geo.  W.  Maddox,  General  Staff,  was  the  first  G-1. 
In  June,  1918,  he  organized  the  department  and  put  it  in  first 
class  running  order.  He  was  with  the  Division  while  it  was 
with  the  British;  in  the  Toul  and  in  the  Marbache  Sectors.  He 
left  in  September  just  after  the  St.  Mihiel  drive.  Lt.  Col.  Troup 
Miller,  General  Staff,  was  the  next  G-1,  through  the  Meuse- 
Argonne  offensive  and  remained  until  December  3,  when  he  was 
sent  to  the  1st  Corps  as  G-1  there.  Lt.  Col.  J.  P.  Barney, 
General  Staff,  came  to  the  Division  as  G-1  on  December  2,  and 
left  on  January,  29,  being  evacuated  to  a  hospital  seriously  ill. 
Maj.  P.  T.  Robson,  Engrs.,  who  had  been  Assistant  G-1  since 
June,  1918,  was  then  made  Acting  G-1. 

Roughly  the  supply  system  of  the  A.E.F.  is  as  follows,  sup- 
plies being  divided  into  four  classes: 

Class  I:  Rations,  forage,  fuel,  gasoline,  etc.  These  are  known 
as  the  daily  automatic  supplies  and  G-1  of  the  Division 
telegraphs  the  Army  two  days  in  advance  giving  the  required 
amounts  of  each  kind.  Train  is  then  loaded  and  sent  to  the 
railhead  of  the  Division  through  the  Regulating  Station.  As 
Divisions  are  all  of  the  same  size  the  daily  automatic  supply 
does  not  vary  greatly.  It  is  customary  for  the  Depot  to  load 
what  is  known  as  a  "balanced  train"  consisting  of  rations  for 
28,000  men,  forage  for  6000  animals,  3000  gallons  of  gasoline, 
4  carloads  of  wood,  etc.,  each  day. 

Class  II:  Clothing,  blankets,  etc. 

Class  III:  All  other  authorized  equipment  such  as  Ordnance, 
Engineer,  Signal,  etc. 

Class  IV:  Ammunition,  construction  material  and  equipment 
and   other   things   depending   upon   battle   conditions. 

When  the  troops  need  Class  II,  III  or  IV  supplies,  Supply 
Officers  of  the  organizations  make  a  requisition  and  send  it  to  the 


A  close  shave 


Church  at  Sommerance 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  247 

Chief  of  the  Department  from  which  the  supplies  are  to  come.  Ke 
consolidates  the  requisition  and  sends  it  to  G-1  of  the  Division 
for  approval.  After  being  approved  it  goes  to  G-4  of  the  Army 
and  from  there  to  the  Depot  that  is  to  supply  the  goods.  After 
loading  the  car  is  sent  to  Regulating  Station  to  have  the  destina- 
tion and  route  prescribed.  The  main  regulating  station  for  the 
American  Forces  has  been  at  Is-sur-Tille.  This  station  was 
always  informed  by  telegraph  as  to  the  location  or  proposed 
movements  of  the  troops  of  the  A.E.F.  and  was  thus  able  to 
route  cars  to  destination.  During  battle  many  changes  in  loca- 
tion occur  after  the  car  has  left  the  Regulating  Station  and 
it  was  usually  found  advisable  to  have  a  convoy  with  important 
shipments  to  minimize  their  chance  of  going  astray.  Upon 
arrival  at  the  railhead  the  railhead  officer  turns  over  to  the  Divi- 
sion Quartermaster  all  goods  arriving  for  that  Division.  The 
unloading  is  done  by  the  personnel  of  the  Quartermaster  and 
the  goods  taken  by  trucks  of  the  Supply  Train  to  the  distributing 
point  of  the  Division.  Here  a  segregation  is  made  to  the  Supply 
Officers  of  the  various  regiments  who  in  turn  distribute  to  the 
supply  sergeants  of  their  smaller  units.  When  a  Division  is 
fully  equipped  and  has  its  complement  of  animals  and  motor 
vehicles  from  25  to  30  cars  per  day  are  required. 

During  rest  periods  and  in  quiet  sectors  the  G-1  Office  is 
operated  in  one  echelon  at  Division  Headquarters.  During 
oifensive  engagements,  particularly  under  open  warfare  condi- 
tions, it  was  found  necessary  to  divide  the  Office  of  G-1  into 
tvv^o  echelons  for  effective  work.  This  was  thought  absolutely 
essential  during  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive.  The  second 
echelon  was  under  control  of  G-1  with  the  Adjutant's  Depart- 
ment and  Trains  Headquarters,  and  remained  at  or  near  the 
railhead  properly  to  control  the  movement  of  supplies,  replace- 
ments, etc.,   from  the  rear  to  this  echelon. 

An  advance  section  of  G-1,  consisting  in  the  Meuse-Argonne 
offensive  of  Maj.  F.  T.  Robson,  a  stenographer  and  an  office 
orderly,  w^as  at  all  times  with  the  front  echelon  of  the  Division ; 
their  duties  being  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  the  front  line 
and  with  the  rear  echelon  in  order  to  better  control  the  delivery 
of  supplies  and  ammunition  and  to  keep  informed  of  changes 
in  the  disposition  of  troops  due  to  necessities  of  combat. 

QUARTERMASTER  DEPARTMENT 

The  Quartermaster  Department  is  the  largest  of  the  supply 
organizations  of  the  Army  and  is  charged  mainly  with  the  supply 


248  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

of  rations,  food,  forage,  clothing  and  other  articles  that  have 
to  do  with  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  the  troops.  As  the  tables 
of  organization  do  not  provide  any  labor  troops  for  this  depart- 
ment it  was  found  necessary,  immediately  upon  arrival  in 
France,  to  organize  a  detachment  of  approximately  100  men 
and  known  as  the  Quartermaster  Detachment  unassigned.  This 
unit  loads  and  unloads  and  handles  rations  and  supplies  and 
distributes  them  to  various  organizations,  etc. 

The  Officer  personnel  of  the  Quartermaster  Department  of  this 
Division  has  changed  constantly.  Capt.  A.  J.  Manning,  Finance 
Branch,  and  Lt.  L.  P.  Harrell,  are  the  only  officers  now  with 
the  Division  who  accompanied  it  from  the  United  States.  To 
these  two  officers  (and  to  Sergeants  1st  Class  Warren  Merrim, 
Max  Contor  and  E.  H.  Ashcraft  who  maintained  an  advance 
Quartermaster  dump  at  Fleville)  and  to  the  enlisted  men  of  the 
Quartermaster  detachment  unassigned  must  be  given  a  large 
share  of  the  credit  for  the  excellent  work  done  by  the  Quarter- 
master Department  at  all  times  under  most  trying  circumstances. 

During  the  time  the  Division  was  with  the  British  and  when 
In  the  Toul  and  Marbache  sectors  troops  were  practically  sta- 
tionary and  the  railhead  did  not  change.  The  problem  of  supply 
soon  become  stabilized  and  was  dependent  solely  upon  the  ability 
of  supply  depots  to  furnish  the  articles  requisitioned  for.  Dur- 
ing the  St,  Mihiel  fight  this  Division  acted  as  a  pivot  and  the 
troops  did  not  move  sufficiently  to  cause  the  railhead  at  Belle- 
ville to  be  changed  during  the  combat.  Thus  again  the  problem 
of  supply  was  not  complicated  except  in  so  far  as  the  fact 
that  the  Division  was  astride  the  Moselle  River  caused  incon- 
venience due  to  an  inadequate  system  of  bridges.  In  fact,  during 
all  engagements  of  the  Division  prior  to  the  Meuse-Argonne 
offensive  the  supplying  of  the  troops  depended  very  largely  upon 
the  ability  and  initiative  of  the  supply  officers  of  the  various 
regiments. 

On  September  24  the  Division  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Triau- 
court  by  motor  bus  and  the  supply  system  became  much  more 
complicated.  A  vast  concentration  of  American  troops  in  a 
small  area  had  been  made  in  preparation  for  a  battle  which 
was  to  commence  on  September  26.  Railroads  were  taxed  to 
their  utmost  capacity  to  bring  in  the  rations,  forage,  ammunition 
and  other  material  required  for  the  offensive.  Railheads  were 
very  congested  and  trains  were  late  in  arriving.  Roads  were 
blocked  with  traffic  and  the  weather  was  rainy  and  cold.  Road 
circulation  was  limited  by  the  desire  for  secrecy. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION  249 

The  first  distributing  point  in  ttiis  area  was  at  a  triangle 
formed  by  roads  just  west  of  tlie  town  of  Froidos.  This  was 
used  successfully  until  October  4  when  an  advance  division  dump 
was  located  about  1  liilometer  west  of  Varennes  on  the  Varennes- 
Fooir-de-Paris  Road.  This  dump  w^as  within  4  or  5  kilometers 
of  the  front  and  in  an  exposed  position,  but  it  was  the  only 
available  place  where  road  circulation  was  obtainable.  It  was 
under  constant  enemy  observation  and  shell  fire.  The  Quarter- 
master personnel  lived  in  German  dugouts  in  the  \^cinity  that 
had  just  been  captured.  Most  of  the  distribution  of  rations  had 
to  be  done  during  the  night.  It  was  at  this  period  that  the 
railhead  of  the  Division  was  changed  almost  daily.  No  informa- 
tion could  be  obtained  as  to  where  the  railhead  of  the  Division 
would  be  the  next  day  and  frequently  the  entire  supply  train 
would  go  to  a  railhead  to  find  that  it  had  been  changed.  The 
supplies  had  to  be  drawn  somewhere  else.  Tliis  necessitated  a 
great  loss  of  time  and  the  tying-up  of  motor  transportation  which 
was  a  serious  matter  where  there  was  none  to  spare.  However, 
we  always  managed  to  get  our  supplies  in  one  way  or  another 
and  the  Division  was  always  promptly  fed.  As  the  troops  went 
forward  the  distributing  point  at  Varennes  v/as  too  far  in  the 
rear  and  on  October  12  it  was  moved  to  Apremont,  at  that  time 
only  about  3  kilometers  behind  the  line,  and  in  plain  viev/  of 
the  Germans  down  the  Aire  Valley.  All  but  one  company  of 
the  307th  Supply  Train  was  moved  to  this  point  also  and  the 
constant  circulation  and  parking  of  trucks  caused  nightly  shell- 
ing and  air  raids.  A  day  or  two  later  advance  dumps  for  one 
infantry  brigade  and  machine-gun  battalion  was  established  at 
Fleville. 

It  v»^as  about  this  time  that  Maj.  Catchings  Therrell  was 
appointed  advance  representative  of  the  G-1  office  to  correlate 
the  supply  of  the  troops  in  the  front  line  and  as  the  front  line 
had  become  more  or  less  stabilized,  to  look  after  the  comfort 
of  the  men.  Major  Therrell  took  charge  of  this  work  in  e.n 
energetic  and  capable  manner  and  soon  had  old  German  baths 
at  Fleville  and  Sommerance  in  operation;  also  rest  rooms  where 
the  men  of  the  reserve  battalions  could  get  a  change  of  clothing 
and  a  dry,  warm  place  to  sleep.  All  this  while  fighting  v/as 
going  on  a  few  kilometers  in  advance.  He  also  moved  up  and 
pooled  the  kitchens  and  operated  them  day  and  night,  sometimes 
within  a  kilometer  of  the  front  line. 

The  307th  Supply  Train,  a  motorized  unit,  furnished  the 
delivery  system  of  the  Quartermaster  Department  from  the  rail- 


250  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

head  to  the  distributing  point,  find  all  hauling  for  the  entire 
Division.  This  supply  train  with  its  repair  shop,  the  340th 
Service  Park  Unit,  functioned  in  a  most  admirable  manner 
throughout.  Although  they  were  never  assigned  their  full  com- 
plement of  trucks  and  with  spare  parts  and  supplies  for  motor 
equipment  extremely  hard  to  secure,  yet  there  never  was  a 
time  w^hen  the  Division  was  required  to  call  for  outside  help 
to  transport  its  supplies.  This  was  due  solely  to  the  high  grade 
of  the  personnel  and  the  untiring  efforts  of  the  officers  and  men 
of  these  organizations.  To  one  who  is  not  familiar  with  road 
conditions  during  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  it  is  ixiipossible 
to  describe  fully  the  hardships  and  difTiculties  under  vrhich  trucks 
had  to  operate.  It  would  have  been  bad  enough  in  daylight 
but  with  darkness  and  shell  fire  added  it  is  utterly  inconceivable 
how  heavy  trucks  can  be  operated  at  all,  much  less  reach  their 
destination,  sometimes  over  roads  utterly  unknown  to  drivers, 
and  with  insufficient  data  as  to  the  route. 

Short  of  motor  equipment  themselves  the  307th  Supply  Train 
had  to  help  the  Ammunition  Train  haul  ammunition  and  the 
Sanitary  Train  haul  wounded,  due  to  a  like  shortage  in  these 
organizations. 

The  road  from  Clermont  to  Varennes  and  northward  was  at 
all  times  congested  with  traffic  and  hours  were  consumed  in 
traveling  a  distance  of  a  few  miles.  The  Germans  had  blown 
two  immense  craters  in  this  road  and  proper  time  could  not 
be  given  to  fill  them.  A  one-way  turn-out  was  operated  that 
caused  delays  of  hours.  Hauling  of  rations  and  supplies  went 
on  by  day  as  far  as  was  consistent  with  secrecy  and  the  same 
trucks  with  a  change  of  drivers  hauled  ammunition  all  night. 
A  shortage  of  ambulances  made  it  necessary  to  haul  wounded 
and  sick  men  by  trucks  night  after  night.  In  fact  a  truck  was 
hardly  ever  parked. 

Under  all  of  these  trying  conditions  the  men  of  the  307th  Supply 
Train  can  point  with  pride  to  the  fact  tliat  during  the  entire 
offensive  not  one  of  their  trucks  was  so  seriously  injured  or 
broken  by  careless  driving  or  accident  as  to  be  left  on  the  road 
and  abandoned. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  29th  of  September  a  rush  order  was 
received  for  a  regiment  of  infantry  to  reinforce  the  28th  Division 
which  was  then  hard  pressed.  From  6  to  8  o'clock  that  evening 
88  trucks  were  loaded  with  men  of  the  327th  Infantry  at  a 
point  on  the  main  road  just  west  of  Rarecourt  and  despatched 
pver  the  Clermont- Varennes  Road  to  a  point  of  debarkation  near 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  251 

Charpentry,  a  distance  of  15  miles.  Due  to  road  congestion  and 
circulation  requirements  some  of  these  trucks  did  not  report 
back  imtil  late  the  next  afternoon.  This  is  but  a  sample  of 
what  was  done  day  after  day. 

SALES  COMMISSARY  UNIT  No.  SO 

This  unit  was  attached  to  the  Division  when  in  the  Marbache 
Sector  but  received  no  supplies  until  sometime  in  September 
shortly  before  the  move  to  the  Argonne.  Thus  from  May  te 
October  the  Division  depended  upon  the  Y.M.C.A.,  the  K.  of  C. 
and  the  Salvation  Army  for  canteen  service.  During  the  Meuse- 
Argonne  offensive  several  carloads  of  supplies  came  in  and  trucks 
v/ere  sent  out  with  these  supplies  to  distribute  them  as  close 
to  the  front  line  as  possible.  Breakfast  food,  soup,  chocolate, 
etc.,  were  furnished  in  large  quantities  to  a  Field  Hospital  which 
the  Division  erected  at  Apremont.  After  return  of  the  Division 
to  a  rest  area  the  Sales  Commissary  continued  to  exercise  its 
normal  duty  until  the  Division  was  ordered  to  entrain  to  the 
Bordeaux  Area  when  this  unit  was  detached  and  sent  to  the 
Le  Mans  Area. 

ORDNANCE  DEPARTMENT 

The  Ordnance  Department  furnishes  most  of  the  equipment 
required  for  fighting.  A  certain  amount  of  ordnance  personnel 
is  scattered  throughout  the  Division,  being  attached  to  the  various 
units.  But  one  small  unit,  consisting  of  an  officer  and  about 
50  men  to  repair  and  replace  equipment,  cannon  and  machine 
guns,  functions  under  Division  Headquarters.  It  is  known  as 
the  307th  Mobile  Ordnance  Repair  Shop. 

The  307th  Mobile  Ordnance  Repair  Shop,  while  small,  is  aa 
extremely  efficient  organization  with  technical  pers©nnel.  Due 
to  its  excellent  functioning  and  to  the  work  of  Division  Ordnance 
Officer  little  real  difficulty  was  encountered  by  the  troops  in 
obtaining  needed  equipment.  Te  perform  its  duties  properly 
the  Mobile  Ordnance  Repair  Shop  was  at  all  times  working 
within  range  of  enemy  guns  and  operated  its  repair  trucks  there. 
On  October  12,  1918,  it  moved  with  the  Quartermaster  Depart- 
ment to  Apremont  where  an  advance  ordnance  depot  was  estab- 
lished to  reequip  men  returning  from  hospitals  or  who  had  lost 
their  equipment  under  battle  conditions. 

The  Ordnance  Department  has  done  its  work  excellently,  due 
to  the  good  training  given  by  Col.  P.  H.  Worcester  in  the  United 


252  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

States  and  France  and  to  Capt.  A.  C.  Jones  who  succeeded  him 
as  Division  Ordnance  Officer  on  August  27,  1918. 

In  connection  with  the  Ordnance  Department  but  coming  more 
directly  under  the  Artillery  Brigade  Commander  and  the  Divi- 
sion Munitions  Officers,  Lt.  Wm.  F.  Holland  and  Lt.  Charles  L. 
Andrews,  was  the  307th  Ammunition  Train,  commanded  by  Lt. 
Col.  C.  W.  McClure.  This  consisted  of  a  motorized  and  a  horse- 
drawn  battalion. 

The  supply  of  an  Artillery  Brigade  with  ammunition  is  roughly 
as  follows:  3  days'  fire  are  to  be  kept  at  the  guns  or  at  least 
with  the  Divisions.  Reports  are  made  to  the  Corps  Ordnance 
Officer  daily  of  amounts  fired  during  the  preceding  24  hours 
and  allocations  made  to  replace  this  and  any  additional  amount 
that  may  be  required  for  a  "show"  that  may  have  been  ordered 
"pulled  off."  These  allocations  state  the  kind  of  ammuntion  and 
number  of  rounds  and  the  location  of  the  dump  where  they 
can  be  secured.  As  soon  as  this  information  is  received  it  is 
up  to  the  Ammuntion  Train  to  immediately  get  the  ammunition. 
Theoretically,  the  motorized  battalion  procured  the  ammunition 
from  the  specified  army  or  corps  dump  and  delivered  it  on  the 
main  road  as  close  to  the  battery  position  as  possible.  Here 
the  horse-drawn  battalion  took  it  direct  to  the  battery  positions, 
because  of  lack  of  animals  in  the  artillery  regiments. 

This  at  least  was  the  plan  decided  upon,  but  the  shortage 
of  animals  in  the  entire  A.E.F.  and  the  continued  loss  by  shell 
fire  and  by  sickness  caused  by  working  24  hours  a  day  put  a 
much  greater  burden  on  the  motor  transportation.  Trucks 
furnished  were  in  many  cases  old  and  worn  out  and  numbered 
only  about  50  per  cent  of  the  authorized  quantity.  Thus  it  came 
about  that  the  trucks  of  the  Ammunition  Train  were  compelled 
to  go  farther  and  farther  toward  the  front  over  almost  impas- 
sable roads  and  direct  to  battery  positions  under  the  most 
severe  enemy  fire  and  the  most  trying  conditions  of  road  con- 
gestion, always  under  the  cover  of  darkness  and  without  lights 
of  any  kind.  When  it  is  remembered  that  not  only  is  the 
chauffeur  compelled  to  operate  his  truck  or  a  driver  his  caisson 
over  a  road  known  to  the  enemy  artillery  and  under  shell  fire 
and  with  the  contents  of  his  load  highly  explosive  in  nature, 
too  much  credit  can  not  be  given  to  the  work  of  the  Ammunition 
Train  of  this  Division. 

This  Office  does  not  know  of  a  single  instance  when  cannon 
of  the  Division  were  silent  because  of  lack  of  ammunition.  This 
was  not  the  case  in  many  other  Divisions.     The  82nd  Division 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  253 

is  proud  of  the  work  of  its  Munitions  Officers,  its  Aramuntion 
Train,  and  not  only  of  the  chauffeurs  and  drivers,  but  also  of 
the  mechanics  who  kept  things  in  repair.  These  men,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  SOTth  Supply  Train  in  time  of  unusual  demands, 
always  got  the  ammuntion  where  it  was  needed  and  in  sufficient 
time. 

MOVEMENT  BY  MOTOR  BUSES 

On  two  occasions  this  Division  moved  a  distance  of  about  100 
miles  by  motor  buses,  a  system  of  locomotion  developed  by  the 
needs  of  the  Allied  armies  and  used  in  times  of  railroad  con- 
gestion or  when  the  transportation  lines  were  controlled  by,  or 
under  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  motor  buses  were  American  White 
trucks  with  a  capacity  of  from  18  to  20  men  each  and  driven 
by  Chinese  chauffeurs.  The  trucks  were  operated  in  companies 
of  about  50  trucks  each  with  4  companies  in  a  section.  Imme- 
diately after  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  on  September  24,  1918,  the 
Division  was  moved  from  the  vicinity  of  Marbache  to  Triaucourt 
by  these  motor  buses;  about  1200  buses  were  required  for  the 
movement. 

Many  new  problems  in  the  supply  of  a  Division  were  presented 
by  such  a  move.  When  a  Division  moved  by  rail  all  the  equip- 
ment accompanied  it;  when  by  bus,  none  of  the  animals  could 
be  moved  in  this  way,  nor  could  the  artillery.  The  distance  of 
this  move  was  approximately  100  miles  which  is  a  5-day  trip 
for  the  horse-drawn  vehicles.  Water-carts  and  rolling  kitchens 
are  necessary  for  the  troops  at  all  times  in  order  that  warm 
meals  may  be  given.  The  Division  did  not  have  sufficient  motor 
equipment  in  its  Supply  and  Ammunition  Trains  to  move  these 
vehicles  nor  are  the  bodies  of  many  trucks  large  enough  to 
accommodate  a  rolling  kitchen.  This  meant  that  a  survey  of 
rolling  kitchens  and  water-carts  had  to  be  made  to  see  what 
could  be  handled  by  the  motor  equipment.  Those  that  would 
go  in  the  trucks  were  selected  and  the  balance  sent  overland 
with  the  horse  transport.  The  kitchens  remaining  to  be  loaded 
on  trucks  had  to  do  double  duty  for  the  4  or  5  days  that  the 
horse  transport  was  on  the  road. 

A  road  circuit  for  the  buses  had  to  be  found  and  the  troops 
brought  to  these  embusing  points,  numbering  two  or  three  for 
a  division ;  the  troops  loaded  and  started  on  their  journey. 
These  bus  columns  then  traveled  over  a  road  designated  in 
advance  and  under  the  same  general  methods  that  would  govern 
the  handling  of  railway  traffic.     Travel  was  by  night  as  the 


254  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION 

front  lines  were  approached.  As  trucks  broke  down  or  were 
overturned  they  took  their  places  in  rear  of  the  column.  This 
resulted  in  some  confusion.  It  is  an  expeditious  method  of  trans- 
porting troops  but  the  supply  problem  is  exceedingly  hard  until 
the  horse  transport  reaches  the  Division  again,  and  takes  its 
proper  place  with  the  various  organizations. 

ENGINEER  DEPARTMENT 

The  Engineers  of  a  Division  are  organized  both  as  Engineer 
and  as  fighting  units  and  in  this  Division  not  only  performed 
the  work  of  Engineers  in  the  construction  of  required  structures 
of  all  kind,  keeping  open  the  lines  of  communication,  etc.,  but 
were  actually  put  in  the  line  in  numerous  Instances.  As  a 
supply  department  their  main  problem  was  to  furnish  material 
for  field  fortifications  and  the  construction  of  buildings  for  the 
housing  and  comfort  of  troops  and  maintenance  of  the  lines 
of  communication.  This  work  was  exceedingly  well  done  under 
the  most  trying  circumstances.  It  is  more  fully  set  out  in 
another  chapter  devoted  to  the  history  of  the  Engineer  Regiment 
and  Train. 

BILLETING 

When  Americans  arrived  in  France  it  was  necessary  to  adopt 
the  French  system  of  quartering  troops  In  billets.  This  system 
consists  in  quartering  men,  animals  and  materials  in  houses, 
buildings,  stables  or  any  other  shelter,  belonging  either  to  private 
individuals  or  to  the  Government.  Officers  are  provided  with 
rooms  in  the  homes  of  the  inhabitants.  The  French  law  re- 
quires the  municipal  authorities  to  prepare  and  submit  to  the 
military  authorities  a  list  of  such  available  accommodations  and, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  it  requires  the  inhabitant  to  give  over 
any  part  of  his  property  not  in  daily  use.  The  law  also  provided 
that  the  troops  will  share,  in  common  with  the  inhabitant,  light- 
ing and  heating  facilities,  and  water  supply.  These  accommoda- 
tions are  furnished  at  the  rate  of  one  franc  per  day  for  an  officer, 
five  centimes  per  day  for  a  soldier,  and  five  centimes  per  day 
for  an  animal. 

Although  fifteen  officers  who  spoke  French  had  been  sent  to 
France  in  advance  by  the  82nd  Division  to  familiarize  them- 
selves with  this  system,  they  had  been  so  scattered  that  their 
services  did  not  become  available  for  some  time  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Division.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  detail  other 
officers  as  Billeting  Officers  and  Acting  Town  Majors,  to  quarter 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  255 

tlie  troops,  keep  a  record  of  billets  occupied  and  adjust  any 
claims  for  damage  which  might  arise.  1st  Lt.  Stuart  W.  Golds- 
borough,  Division  Headquarters,  was  put  in  charge  of  this  work 
for  the  Division. 

The  instructions  for  the  preparation  of  billeting  records  and 
for  the  settlement  of  claims  were  incomplete  and  were  con- 
stantly changing  during  our  first  few  months  in  France.  They 
were  not  stabilized  until  August  31,  1918,  when  a  Manual  was 
issued  by  the  Services  of  Supply,  for  the  use  of  Renting,  Requisi- 
tion and  Claims  Officers. 

The  system  of  billeting  contemplates  having  the  areas  divided 
into  various  zones  (each  of  which  will  accommodate  a  Division) 
with  officers  permanently  in  charge  of  each  zone,  having  com- 
plete information  as  to  the  available  accommodations,  a  list  of 
towns,  maximum  capacity  of  each  in  officers,  men  and  animals, 
and  any  other  facilities  for  the  troops.  It  was  only  after  the 
Division  had  withdrawn  from  the  Argonne,  however,  that  w^e 
made  the  acquaintance  of  such  an  officer,  known  as  an  American 
Zone  Major.  It  had,  therefore,  been  necessary  to  obtain  all 
such  information  from  the  French;  or,  if  that  was  impossible, 
by  personal  reconnaissance. 

The  difference  in  language  and  customs  and  the  fact  that 
the  system  was  entirely  new  to  Americans  had  led  to  many 
minor  misunderstandings  and  claims  by  the  French.  Almost  in- 
variably an  investigation  of  such  claims  showed  that  they  were 
justifiable  and  they  were  promptly  adjusted.  The  few  instances 
of  exorbitant  claims,  as  well  as  complaints  of  extortionate  prices 
having  been  charged,  can  usually  be  attributed  to  the  impres- 
sion given  by  many  Americans  that  they  were  able  to  pay  and 
must  have  the  best  of  everything  at  any  price.  It  Vv^as  the 
constant  endeavor  of  the  officials  of  the  Division  to  promote  and 
maintain  cordial  relations  with  the  inhabitants  and  it  is  a  source 
of  considerable  satisfaction  that  the  Division  left  France  with 
the  entire  good  will  of  the  French  people  with  whom  it  has  been 
billeted.  This  good  wiU  was  properly  reciprocated  by  the  men 
of  the  Division,  because  of  the  courtesy  and  kindness  of  the 
French,  and  their  unfailing  willingness  to  share  the  comforts 
of  their  homes  with  the  Americans. 

82nd  MILITARY  POLICE  COMPANY 

When  the  Division  sailed  for  France,  the  Military  Police  was 
organized  under  the  old  tables  of  organization.  There  v/ere 
two  companies  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  three  officers 


256  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

each,  and  the  same  Headquarters  which  served  for  the  trains 
was  emploj^ed  as  Battalion  Headquarters  for  the  Military  Police. 
However,  shortly  after  the  arrival  in  France,  B  Company  was 
placed  on  detached  service,  thus  cutting  the  working  strength 
in  half. 

The  weeks  spent  with  the  British  were  used  mainly  in  the  study 
of  the  British  traffic  rules  and  their  methods  of  handling  the 
police  situation  and  the  working  out  of  the  necessary  changes 
due  to  our  different  customs  and  regulations. 

On  the  Toul  sector,  the  Military  Police  work  covered  a  wide 
area,  for  the  sector  was  large  and  for  the  most  part  imder 
direct  enemy  observation  during  the  day.  This  fact  compelled 
the  installation  of  many  posts  to  regulate  the  passage  of  vehicles 
and  individuals.  All  movement  in  and  out  of  the  area  was 
restricted  and  examination  posts  kept  to  prevent  unauthorized 
travel.  Details  were  also  stationed  in  both  Toul  and  Nancy  to 
police  those  cities.  Many  A.W.O.L.'s  from  other  divisions  as 
well  as  our  own  were  handled  in  these  places.  At  Menil-le-Tour, 
a  Divisional  Guard  House  was  established  and  maintained. 

B  Company  joined  the  Battalion  when  the  Division  entered 
the  Marbache  sector  but  during  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  A  Company 
was  detached  and  placed  at  the  disposition  of  the  1st  Army. 

Details  were  again  scattered  over  the  Divisional  Area  for  the 
regulation  of  traffic  and  circulation.  Advance  straggler  posts 
were  maintained  close  behind  the  lines  and  aided  in  directing 
the  wounded  to  dressing  stations  as  well  as  apprehending 
stragglers. 

In  Nancy  a  strong  detail  was  required  and  often  as  many 
as  one  hundred  A.W.O.L.'s  or  deserters  were  apprehended  in 
a  24-hour  period.  These  were  marched  to  the  Divisional  Guard 
House  at  Belleville,  where  they  were  worked  on  the  roads  by 
the  Military  Police  until  called  for  by  their  units.  A  force 
was  also  maintained  in  the  evacuated  city  of  Pont-a-Mousson 
to  prevent  looting  by  our  troops. 

When  the  Horse  transportation  moved  from  the  Marbache 
sector  to  the  Argonne  Forest,  a  detachment  of  Mounted  Military 
Police  served  as  an  advance  party,  selecting  camp  sites  and 
posting  the  road.  This  movement  was  made  entirely  at  night 
and  without  mishap. 

With  the  entry  into  the  Argonne  territory,  one  hundred  men 
and  two  officers  were  transferred  to  the  1st  Army,  C.R.A.,  and 
one  company  of  five  officers  and  two  hundred  men  was  organized 
according  to  G.O.  180,  1918. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  257 

In  the  Argonne  Forest  offensive,  our  straggler  posts  were 
busy,  and  constant  liaison  maintained  with  the  Divisions  on  our 
right  and  left  made  possible  to  effect  more  efficient  straggler 
lines.  Details  were  kept  at  both  Infantry  Brigade  P.C.'s,  which 
conducted  the  prisoners  of  war  to  the  Division  P.O.,  where  they 
were  turned  over  to  the  Corps  Military  Police. 

The  traffic  in  the  Forest  was  very  heavy  and  only  by  strong 
road  details  was  it  kept  under  control.  The  Division  Military 
Police  were  required  to  handle  the  Corps  road  from  Varennes 
north  for  several  weeks,  due  to  the  shortage  of  Military  Police 
at  Corps  Headquarters.  Each  traffic  post  was  supplied  with  a 
location  list  of  all  units,  dumps  and  railheads  of  our  own 
Division  and  the  most  important  ones  of  the  neighboring  divi- 
sions. In  addition,  a  road  map  was  in  the  possession  of  each 
sentry,  with  which  to  direct  convoys,  troops  and  individuals  to 
their  proper  destinations.  These  aids  often  proved  invaluable 
to  truck  drivers,  who  had  been  sent  out  with  too  little  in- 
formation. 

Upon  the  relief  of  the  Division  in  the  Argonne,  the  Military 
Police  force  was  divided  into  three  sections.  One  went  ahead 
to  the  staging  area  and  assisted  the  placing  of  units  when  they 
arrived.  Another  handled  the  roads  between  the  two  areas, 
while  the  third  remained  in  the  old  area  to  collect  stragglers 
and  material  left  by  the  department  troops.  This  last  detail 
was  also  instructed  with  the  embussing  of  the  troops  at  the 
concentration  points. 

Captain  Gordon  D.  Palmer  has  been  in  command  of  82nd 
Military  Police  Company  since  its  organization. 

Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  T.M.C.A.  has  been  operating  with  the  Division  ever  since 
Its  organization.  After  arrival  overseas  and  while  located  in 
Northern  France  the  Division  was  served  by  the  British  Branch 
of  the  Y.M.C.A.  After  the  movement  of  the  Division  to  the 
Toul  sector  the  American  branch  of  the  I'^.M.C.A.  served  the 
Division  and  at  this  time  the  personnel  were  assigned  to  sectors 
and  so  continued  until  major  operations  began  when  a  permanent 
personnel  was  attached  to  the  Division  and  moved  about  v/ith 
it.  From  the  date  the  Y.M.C.A.  first  joined  the  Division  they 
have  done  much  for  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  the  troops  in 
the  supply  of  tobacco,  candies,  cakes,  etc.,  as  well  as  various 
kinds  of  athletic  equipment.  In  addition  many  buildings  were 
built  or  leased   and  tents  erected  in  which  there  was  always 


258  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

ample  writing  facilities  as  well  as  the  necessary  equipment  for 
entertainment  in  the  way  of  moving  pictures,  music,  and  groups 
of  entertainers,  who  traveled  from  place  to  place. 

During  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  this  organization  did 
excellent  work  in  the  distribution  of  supplies  to  the  fighting 
troops  and  much  credit  is  due  Mr.  P.  H.  Gossom,  then  Divisional 
Secretary  for  the  82nd  Division,  for  his  untiring  efforts  and 
efficient  handling  of  his  organization  for  the  benefit  of  the  fight- 
ing men. 

With  few  individual  exceptions  the  personnel  attached  to  the 
Division  have  been  of  high  type  and  satisfactory.  In  certain 
cases  they  have  been  of  exceptionally  high  type.  There  were 
many  instances  of  bravery,  devotion,  and  self-sacrifice  on  the 
part  of  both  men  and  women  workers  and  the  following  were 
cited  in  Division  orders  for  their  meritorious  service: 

Miss   Bernetta  a.   Miller 
Miss  Sunshine  Sweeney 
Miss  Maey  Sweeney 
Me.  H.  B.  McAfee 

IV 

307th  ENGINEER  REGIMENT   OF  THE  82nd  DIVISION 

conteibuted  by 

Lieutenant  Colonel  H.  C.  Moweb,  307th  Engineers 

1.  The  officers  of  the  307th  Engineer  Regiment  reported  for 
duty  at  Camp  Gordon,  Ga.,  27  August,  1917,  in  compliance  with 
S.O.  186,  11  August,  1917;  they  were  technical  men  who  had 
been  trained  at  the  Engineer  Training  Camps  at  Washington 
and  Bellevoir,  Va. 

2.  The  enlisted  personnel  of  this  regiment  was  drawn  from 
the  same  localities  as  the  men  who  filled  the  other  regiments 
of  the  Division.  The  organization  w^as  trained  in  infantry  com- 
bat and  in  military  engineering.  Schools  were  conducted  in 
fourteen  subjects  and  every  platoon  contained  specialists  in 
bridge  carpentry,  rigging,  mine  and  gallery  construction,  map- 
ping, obstacles,  demolition,  revetments,  highway  and  railway  con- 
struction. 

3.  The  Regiment  and  Train  left  Camp  Gordon  for  overseas 
service  8  May,  1918;  sailed  from  Hoboken  19  May  and  arrived 
at  La  Havre  via  Liverpool,  Winchester  and  Southampton 
3  June,  1918.    Col.  J.  L.  Schley,  Corps  of  Engineers,  commanded. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  259 

On  25  June  the   command  rejoined   the  Division   in   the  Toul 
sector  and  relieved  the   101st  Engineers. 

4.  The  companies  were  distributed  on  the  line  of  resistance 
of  the  sector  and  were  employed  on  field  fortifications:  dugout, 
wire,  pill  box  and  dugout  construction,  operation  of  sawmills  and 
engineer  dumps.  On  4  August  two  officers  and  48  men  of  this 
regiment  accompanied  a  raiding  party  of  about  500  men  from 
the  326th  Infantry  who  entered  the  German  Imes  opposite 
Noviant.  Wire  entanglements  were  sh^Jt  out  where  necessary 
and  concentrated  charges  were  used  in  mopping  up  dugouts. 
1st  Lt.  I.  F.  Witherington  and  four  of  his  men  were  wounded. 

5.  On  7-8  August  the  82nd  Division  was  relieved  by  the  89th 
Division  and  moved  south  of  Toul.  After  seven  days  in 
Bicquelay  this  regiment  marched  into  the  Marbache  sector  and 
relieved  the  2nd  Engineers,  the  command  passing  on  18  August. 
Four  engineer  companies  were  put  on  the  resistance  lines;  one 
position  was  organized  through  Foret  de  Facq  and  the  work 
started  by  the  French  on  the  second  position,  running  over  the 
mountain  south  of  Ste.  Genevi^e,  was  continued.  .One  company 
completed  the  erection  of  barrack^^cJl*;^  the  328th  Infantry,  or- 
ganized the  "barrage  position**''*Tiear  Liverdun  and  took  charge 
of  all  mined  bridges  over  the  Moselle  River.  The  sixth  company 
was  employed  on  camouflaging  roads  and  the  care  of  all  division, 
corps  and  army  dumps  and  sawmills  in  Marbache  and 
Dieulouard. 

6.  Here,  as  in  the  Toul  sector,  field  fortifications  were  directed 
by  the  French  Army  Engineers  and  all  pneumatic  and  electrical 
plant  employed  on  dugout  construction  was  furnished  by  them. 
The  position  through  Foret  de  Facq  was  organized  with  wire, 
emplacements  and  shelters;  the  one  farther  south  was  an 
elaborate  system  of  dugouts,  and  galleries  through  the  mountain 
with  wire  and  trenches  on  the  north  slopes  and  across  the  river 
valley. 

7.  Colonel  Schley,  who  had  been  injured  near  Toul  before 
the  regiment  entered  the  sector,  rejoined  and  resumed  command 
on  30  August. 

8.  Upon  receipt  of  orders  for  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive  A  Com- 
pany was  attached  to  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade,  F  Company 
to  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade  and  C  Company  to  the  Artillery 
Brigade.  Three  companies  were  held  by  the  Division  Engineer 
for  work  on  lines  of  communication,  care  of  bridges  and  for 
other  engineering  service. 

9.  On  12  September  D  Company  opened  a  sheltered  road  run- 


260  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

ning  to  Norroy  from  the  Pont-^-Mousson.  On  tlie  13tli  all 
obstacles  were  removed  from  the  main  roads  to  Norroy  and 
Vandieres.  F  Company  sent  one  platoon  with  the  328th  Infantry 
to  cut  ware  where  necessary ;  the  two  platoons  not  attached  to 
first  infantry  lines  were  kept  busy  clearing  chevcaux  de  frise 
and  wire  from  lines  of  advance.  On  the  night  of  the  15th,  B 
C  and  E  Companies  were  taken  from  the  roads  and  organized 
the  high  ground  west  of  the  river  from  Pont-a-Mousson  to  the 
hill  west  of  Vandieres  which  had  become  our  exposed  right  flank. 
A  Company  was  held  in  readiness  on  the  east  side  of  the  river; 
they  kept  patrols  out,  built  a  foot  bridge  and  restored  the  de- 
molished stone  arch  bridge  of  Port-sur-Seille. 

10.  The  platoons  of  D  and  F  Companies,  held  at  Norroy,  opened 
up  roads  to  the  north  through  the  woods  and  on  the  night  of 
15  September  brought  in  to  our  dressing  station  120  infantrymen 
and  machine  gunners  who  were  given  first  aid  and  evacuated 
by  our  battalion  surgeon.  Among  those  found  in  the  woods  was 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Pike,  D.M.G.  Officer.  Although  still  limping 
from  the  effects  of  his  injury  Colonel  Schley  managed  to  spend 
most  of  his  time  with  his  foremost  units.  The  regiment  lost 
during  the  five  days,  2  killed,  22  seriously  w^ounded  and  43 
slightly  wounded  and  gassed. 

11.  This  command  v/as  relieved  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
17  September  by  the  815th  Engineers  and  on  the  east  side  20 
September  by  the  French  engineers.  Animals  and  animal  drawn 
transportation  started  for  Auzeville  on  the  east  edge  of  the 
Argonne  Forest  20  September  and  the  regiment  followed  in 
French  lorries  on  the  24th;  the  entire  command  arriving  and 
going  into  camp  that  night   (24-25). 

12.  The  82nd  Division  was  desiginated  as  Army  Reserve  upon 
arrival  at  the  nev/  station;  the  engineer  regiment  was  tem- 
porarily detached  from  the  division  and  charged  with  the  repair 
and  upkeep  of  the  Clermont-Varennes  and  the  Vraincourt- 
Neuvilly  roads,  also  the  opening  of  and  removal  of  barriers 
from  the  forest  roads  in  the  vicinity  of  Les  Islettes  and  Four- 
de-Paris.  On  29  September  Avhile  planking  over  the  detour 
around  one  of  the  mine  craters  in  the  Neuvilly-Varennes  road 
D  Company  was  "shanghaied"  by  the  28th  Division  without  the 
knowledge  or  consent  of  our  regimental,  division,  corps  or  army 
engineer;  they  were  taken  from  the  army  work  and  sent  out 
in  front  of  the  28th  Division's  outpost  line  to  organize  and 
hold  a  quarry  north  of  Apremont  in  the  face  of  an  imminent 
counter-attack.    They  broke  up  the  attack,  captured  11  prisoners 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  261 

and  killed  over  200  of  the  attacking  party.  Lt.  S.  H.  Andrews 
and  eleven  men  were  wounded,  four  were  gassed  and  one  \v;is 
missing  when  the  garrison  was  relieved.  This  regiment  vras  not 
permitted  to  bridge  the  two  mine  craters  that  caused  the  dis- 
astrous congestion  in  traffic  between  Neuvilly  and  Varennes,  but 
with  teams  and  scrapers  built  a  fill  bypass  to  the  second  or 
northern  crater. 

13.  On  3  October  the  regimental  P.O.  was  moved  from  Grange- 
le-Comte  Farm  to  a  captured  German  camp  southwest  of 
Varennes  and  on  the  5th  the  82nd  Division  was  made  corps 
reserve  and  established  its  P.O.  in  Varennes.  The  1st  Battalion 
of  this  regiment  was  charged  with  the  repair  and  removal  of 
barriers  and  road  mines  from  roads  in  what  had  been  No  Man's 
Land  north  of  Four-de-Paris  and  the  connecting-up  of  German 
60  cm.  track  in  the  forest. 

14.  Orders  (82nd  Division  Field  Order  No.  20)  were  received 
at  20  hours  6  October,  for  the  attack  across  the  Aire  River  from 
La  Forge  to  Fleville  at  5  hours,  7  October.  F  Company  was 
loaded  on  trucks  at  Chene  Tondu  at  22  o'clock  with  orders  to 
locate  and  mark  any  fordable  places  in  the  river  between  La 
Forge  and  the  Fleville-Cornay  bridge.  The  trucks  could  not  get 
into  Varennes  on  account  of  the  congestion  on  the  roads,  due 
to  troop  movements  and  F  Company  detrained  and  marched 
arriving  in  time  to  take  all  soundings,  locate  and  mark  the  fordi 
at  La  Forge,  the  only  site  where  infantry  could  cross.  The 
327th  Infantry  went  over  at  this  point  at  H  hour.  On  the 
night  of  7-8,  F  Company  built  a  foot  bridge  across  the  Aire 
River  just  above  the  ford,  to  carry  infantry  and  machine-gun 
carts ;  the  ford  was  paved  with  stone  and  ramps  were  dug  mak- 
ing the  crossing  open  to  trucks  and  artillery.  The  shell  and 
machine-gun  fire  upon  this  point  was  very  heavy  through  the 
night;  the  crew  was  forced  to  leave  the  work  three  times  and 
Lt.  E.  S.  Allen  and  six  men  were  wounded.  Lieutenant  Allen 
going  to  the  hospital  with  his  second  wound.  The  2nd  Battalion, 
commanded  by  Maj.  C.  F.  Lewis,  was  stationed  near  Charpentry. 

15.  Company  E  held  an  outpost  in  Chatel-Chehery  through 
the  night  of  9-10  and  F  Company  opened  the  road  through 
Apremont  and  paved  and  dug  ramp  approaches  to  a  ford  below 
the  demolished  steel  bridge  at  that  point.  E  Company  put  a 
light  bridge  across  the  Aire  at  Fleville  on  the  night  of  the 
10th  over  which  two  battalions  of  infantry  crossed  to  attack 
on  the  morning  of  the  11th.  They  also  prepared  a  ford  at  this 
point  for  heavy  traffic,  and  corresponding  crossings  were  pro- 


262  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

vided  over  the  millrace  and  road-mine  craters  on  the  Fleville* 
St.  Juvin  and  Fleville-Cornay  Roads.  A  O.P.  for  the  164th  In- 
fantry Brigade  was  prepared  in  Sommerance  and  engineer  dumps 
were  started  in  Cornay,  Fleville  and  on  the  Sommerance- St.  Juvin 
Road.    The  engineer  train  operated  from  Le  Menil  Farm. 

16.  In  tlie  meantime  tlie  1st  Battalion,  under  Maj.  Eugene 
Kelly,  was  working  roads,  removing  barriers  and  road  mines 
following  the  advance  of  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  in  the 
woods  west  of  the  river.  On  10  October  A  Company  undertook 
the  repair  and  operation  of  the  60  cm.  German  railway  north 
out  of  Varennes.  They  repaired  the  demolished  joints  and  ex- 
tended the  line  into  Cornay  by  setting  over  one  rail  of  the 
standard  gauge  to  60  cm.  gauge.  Rations  and  ammunition  were 
handled  by  this  "307th  Limited."  B  Company  reconnaissance 
patrol  into  Chevieres  on  the  10th  found  the  town  in  flames, 
deserted  by  German  troops  and  no  American  troops  present; 
patrols  also  reached  the  river  through  Marcq  and  Cornay. 

17.  One  platoon  of  B  Company  was  ordered  to  report  to  a 
guide  at  Marcq  on  the  night  of  10-11,  no  mention  being  made 
of  the  character  of  service  required.  The  platoon  reported  with- 
out tools,  was  taken  to  the  demolished  steel  bridge  south  of  St. 
Juvin  and  directed  to  have  the  bridge  ready  for  infantry  assault 
at  5  hours  next  morning.  They  tore  plank  from  German  sheds 
at  the  station  and  with  gun  slings  as  lashings  put  in  a  floor 
system.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  hostile  fire  on  this  point 
was  suspended  from  the  time  our  men  went  to  work;  a  H.E. 
shell  tore  part  of  the  floor  up  about  an  hour  before  daybreak 
but  this  w^as  repaired.  When  our  infantry  started  across  at 
H  hour  a  terrific  fire  was  opened  on  the  assaulting  troops 
forcing  a  retirement.  Captain  Catchings,  commanding  B  Com- 
pany, was  the  only  casualty  among  the  engineer  troops. 

18.  It  was  reported  on  the  14th  that  the  last  machine-gun 
clips  available  for  the  Division  had  been  drawn.  C  Company 
was  put  on  salvage  and  turned  in  80,000  M.G.  clips  and  2,600,000 
rounds  of  ammunition  salvaged  from  the  path  of  advance.  Lt. 
J.  H.  Claxon  was  killed  while  removing  road  mines  in  the  path 
of  our  infantry  advance  on  the  Sommerance-St.  Juvin  road,  14 
October.  In  compliance  with  oral  orders  from  the  Chief  of 
Staff  the  2nd  Battalion  moved  into  the  support  position  north 
of  Sommerance  at  midnight  15-16  October  and  the  following 
night  the  1st  Battalion  moved  up  and  organized  a  reserve  posi- 
tion southwest  of  Sommerance,  the  2nd  Battalion  at  the  same 
time   changing   position    500   meters   forward    and   west  to   the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  263 

Fl^ville-Buzancy  road.  Here  they  dug  in  on  the  reverse  slope 
and  organized  a  position  on  the  forward  slope  with  trenches 
and  wire. 

19.  The  regimental  P.O.  was  moved  to  Fleville  on  the  16th. 
By  the  night  of  the  18th  the  incessant  rains  and  heavy  traffic 
were  making  the  roads  in  the  divisional  area  impassable,  and 
the  1st  Battalion  was  put  back  on  lines  of  communication ;  roads 
were  repaired,  temporary  light  bridges  were  reinforced  or  re- 
placed by  permanent  heavy  structures  and  A  Company  resumed 
the  operation  of  the  "Limited"  from  Varennes  to  Chatel-Chehery. 
The  regimental  P.C.  was  moved  to  La  Foi-ge  on  the  18th. 

20.  The  engineer  train  suffered  several  losses  in  handling 
engineer  materials  from  the  big  St.  Juvin  dump  which  was 
shelled  several  times  a  day.  Men  while  in  the  line  were  served 
two  hot  meals  daily  from  the  kitchens  which  were  sent  to  their 
station. 

21.  The  1st  Battalion  relieved  the  2nd  on  the  night  of  22-23. 
The  21st  Engineers  took  over  the  operation  of  the  "Limited"  on 
the  23rd.  The  2nd  Battalion  began  the  organization  of  the 
position  of  security  north  of  Fleville  under  the  corps  engineer 
but  the  orders  were  changed  and  on  the  28th  the  2nd  Battalion 
and  Engineer  Train  moved  to  the  new  location  of  the  line  of 
security  for  the  82nd  Divisional  sector  and  with  one  battalion 
of  infantry  and  one  M.G.  battalion  began  the  organization  of 
the  ground  west  of  Cornay. 

22.  Major  Kelly  was  relieved  from  command  of  the  1st  Bat- 
talion 23  October  by  Capt.  H.  B.  Baird  and  on  26  October.  Col. 
J.  L.  Schley  was  made  Corps  Engineer  5th  Corps,  and  turned  the 
command  over  to  Lt.  Col.  H.  C.  Mower. 

23.  The  1st  Battalion  and  Headquarters  were  relieved  SO 
October  by  the  305th  Engineers  and  moved  to  the  rear.  The 
2nd  Battalion  was  relieved  on  3  November  by  the  318th  En- 
gineers of  the  6th  Division  and  overtook  the  rest  of  the  regiment 
at  Florent.     The  losses  of  the  regiment  in  the  Argonne  were: 

1  Officer  and  14  men  killed  in  action. 
3  Officers  and  71  men  wounded. 
7  Men  gassed. 

24.  The  service  of  the  Engineer  Regiment  is  necessary  to  the 
proper  functioning  of  the  Division  and  involves  the  same  hard- 
ships, long  marches  and  hard  work  as  does  that  of  the  other 
branches  of  the  service;  indeed,  the  two  weeks  in  supx)ort  line 
proved  a  welcome  change.  While  our  scattered  companies  were 
usually  "among  those  present"   near  the  front  lines  and,  inci- 


264  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

dentally,  always  proud  of  what  the  rest  of  the  divisional  family 
was  doing,  they  had  to  work  under  shell  fire  and  sleep  in  fox 
holes  without  the  inspiration  and  satisfaction  of  contact  and 
combat  with  the  enemy. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  82nd 

DIVISION 

conteibuted  by 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Feedeeick  G.  Baefield,  Division  Suegeon 

Sanitary  detachments  of  four  Infantry,  three  Artillery  and 
one  Engineer  Regiment,  together  with  the  personnel  of  one  Field 
Hospital  and  one  Ambulance  Company  were  sent  from  the 
Medical  Officers'  Training  Camp,  Ft.  Oglethorpe,  Ga.,  August  26, 
1917,  to  Camp  Gordon,  Ga.,  as  a  nucleus  of  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  82nd  Division.  By  a  Division  order,  September  2, 
1917,  these  detachments  were  assigned  to  the  various  Regiments 
of  the  Division,  part  of  their  personnel  having  been  withdrawn 
for  assignment  to  Train  Headquarters  and  Military  Police,  Signal 
and  Machine  Gun  Battalions  and  Ammunition  Train.  From 
time  to  time  the  commissioned  personnel  of  the  regimental  and 
separate  organization  detachments  was  increased  by  the  addition 
of  newly  arriving  medical  officers.  Enlisted  personnel  was  in- 
creased in  proportion  as  the  organizations  grev/.  Likevvise,  from 
time  to  time,  medical  officers  and  enlisted  men  were  added  to 
the  Sanitary  Train.  No  care  was  taken  to  select  men  suited  for 
duty  in  the  Medical  Department,  and  it  was  soon  evident  that 
if  the  sick  and  wounded  men  were  to  be  properly  cared  for, 
quite  a  change  would  have  to  be  made  in  the  personnel  of  the 
Medical  Detachments  and  the  Sanitary  Train.  This  fact  was 
constantly  presented  to  the  proper  authorities  and  after  several 
months  a  number  of  men  of  the  Medical  Department  were  ex- 
changed for  those  more  suited  for  this  kind  of  work. 

While  the  Division  was  being  trained  in  military  duties,  the 
Medical  Department  was  likewise  undergoing  intensive  training 
in  its  special  duties,  in  addition  to  its  work  of  caring  for  the 
sick,  administering  typhoid  vaccine  and,  where  necessary,  vac- 
cinating against  smallpox.  This  work  was  considerably  increased 
by  the  sending  away  of  practically  all  of  the  enlisted  men  of 
the  Division  in  October  and  the  receipt  of  a  similar  number 
of  men  from  other  camps.  These  men  arrived  with  their  records 
in  very  poor  shape  and  it  was  a  very  difficult  matter  to  find 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  265 

out  those  who  had  been  protected  against  typhoid  and  those 
who  had  not.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  eventually  every  man 
of  the  Division  was  protected  against  typhoid  fever  and  small- 
pox. The  training  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Division 
was  under  the  direction  of  Lt.  Col.  C.  E.  Koerper,  M.  C,  Division 
Surgeon,  Maj.  William  T.  Cade,  Jr.,  M.  C,  Division  Sanitary 
Inspector,  and  Maj.  Frederick  T.  Jenkins,  M.  C,  Division  Medical 
Instructor.  Instruction  was  vigorously  carried  out  until  the 
departure  of  the  Division  for  France.  During  its  stay  at  Camp 
Gordon  the  health  of  the  Division  was  very  good.  As  was  to 
be  expected,  there  Vv^ere  numerous  cases  of  mumps  and  measles. 
There  was  some  pneumonia  complicating  with  measles,  and  a  few 
sporadic  cases  of  epidemic  meningitis.  There  were  no  cases  of 
typhoid  fever.  Camp  Gordon  ranked  as  one  of  the  most  healthful 
camps  of  the  U.   S.  Army. 

The  Division,  less  the  Artillery  and  Sanitary  Train,  arrived 
in  France  during  the  month  of  May,  1918,  and  were  with  the 
British  in  the  Somme  area.  The  sick  and  wounded  of  the 
Division  were  cared  for  by  the  British  Medical  Department, 
and  the  training  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Division  was 
vigorously  pursued.  Medical  supplies  were  also  obtained  through 
the  British.  This  experience  was  very  valuable,  especially  the 
training  in  sanitation,  at  least  one  officer  and  two  enlisted  men 
spending  one  week  at  the  British  School  for  Sanitation  at  St. 
Valery-sur-Somme.  The  health  of  the  command  during  this 
period  was  excellent  and  nothing  of  unusual  interest  occurred. 
It  was  very  unfortunate  that  the  Sanitary  Train  did  not  accom- 
pany the  Division  to  this  area,  for  valuable  training  was  missed 
during  this  period. 

The  Division  was  moved  to  the  Toul  sector  the  latter  part 
of  June,  and  was  joined  by  the  Sanitary  Train,  the  medical 
units  of  the  82nd  Division  relieving  and  taking  over,  unit  for 
unit,  the  positions  of  the  2Gth  Division.  The  Ambulance  Section 
had  assigned  to  it  eight  G.M.C.  and  twelve  animal-drawn  am- 
bulances. The  Division  was  entitled  to  forty-one  G.M.C.  am- 
bulances, but  repeated  efforts  to  obtain  them  were  in  vain. 
However,  S.S.U.  Unit  No.  647,  with  thirty  Ford  ambulances,  was 
attached  to  the  Division  and  served  with  them  throughout  their 
front-line  activities.  The  general  plan  for  the  evacuation  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  was  from  regimental  and  bnttalion  aid  sta- 
tions to  ambulance  dressing  stations,  thence  to  field  hospital, 
acting  as  a  triage,  or  sifting  station,  and  from  the  triage  to 
other  field  hospitals  or  to  evacuation  hospital.    It  was  the  policy 


266  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

of  the  Division  Surgeon  to  use  the  Sanitary  Train  as  a  replace- 
ment unit  for  medical  detachments  of  the  line  organizations,  so 
that  at  all  times  the  organizations  were  kept  at  full  strength 
in  both  commissioned  and  enlisted  personnel.  In  training  areas 
and  in  comparatively  quiet  sectors  such  as  the  Toul  sector  it 
was  the  policy  to  keep  one  motor  ambulance,  usually  a  Ford, 
and  one  animal-drawn  ambulance  for  each  regiment  or  separate 
battalion,  while  tke  G.M.C.  ambulances  made  daily  rounds  col- 
lecting the  sick  and  wounded.  Preparatory  to  any  action,  the 
motor  ambulances  were  recalled  and  stationed  at  points  as  the 
need  indicated.  As  a  rule,  Ford  ambulances  were  used  to  carry 
the  injured  from  regimental  or  battalion  aid  stations  to  am- 
bulance company  dressing  stations,  and  the  G.M.C.  from  these 
points  to  the  divisional  triage.  The  patients  were  then  evacuated 
from  the  triage  to  the  rear  by  Evacuation  Ambulance  Com- 
panies (Corps  troops).  When  necessary,  trucks  were  called  into 
service  to  evacuate  patients  both  from  the  front  to  the  triage 
and  from  the  triage  to  the  rear.  In  the  Toul  sector  the  325th 
Ambulance  Company  was  stationed  at  Minorville  with  a  dressing 
station  at  Novlant,  the  326th  Ambulance  at  Menil-la-Tour  with 
dressing  station  at  Rehannes  Woods,  Ambulance  Company  327 
was  stationed  at  Rongeval  Abbey  with  dressing  station  at  Raule- 
court,  and  the  328th  Ambulance  Company  in  reserve  at  Menil- 
la-Tour.  Field  Hospitals  325  and  327  were  stationed  in  large 
barracks  at  Toul  and  really  operated  as  base  hospitals.  Field 
Hospital  326  was  stationed  near  Royameix  and  functioned  as 
a  triage  for  the  right  half  of  the  sector  and  as  a  gas  hospital. 
Field  Hospital  328  was  stationed  at  Rongeval  Abbey  and  served 
as  a  triage  for  the  left  half  of  the  sector.  This  comparatively 
quiet  sector  furnished  an  excellent  opportunity  for  training  of 
the  Sanitary  Train. 

During  the  period  spent  in  the  Toul  sector  there  were  only 
two  occasions  during  which  anything  out  of  the  ordinary  was 
done  by  the  Medical  Department — one,  the  raid  put  over  by  the 
326th  Infantry,  at  which  time  about  seventy  casualties  were 
handled,  and  the  other  occurring  during  the  relief  of  the  82nd 
Division  by  the  89th  Division  about  August  6.  The  Germans 
launched  a  gas  attack  which  resulted  in  about  750  casualties, 
a  vast  majority  of  which  were  from  the  89th  Division.  The 
Sanitary  Train  of  the  82nd  Division  had  not  been  relieved  by 
that  of  the  89th,  so  all  these  cases  were  handled  by  the  307th 
Sanitary  Train  through  the  320th  Field  Hospital  near  Royameix. 
These   cases  were   all  treated   for  gas   and  evacuated  to   Toul 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  267 

within  thirty-six  hours — a  splendid  achievement  for  the  326th 
Field  Hospital.  While  in  this  area  utmost  attention  was 
paid  to  sanitation  under  the  supervision  of  Capt.  Charles  B. 
Hollis,  Division  Sanitary  Inspector,  and  the  health  of  the  Divi- 
sion was  excellent. 

The  Division  moved  from  the  Toul  sector  to  the  Marbache 
sector  about  the  middle  of  August,  1918,  the  Sanitary  Train 
of  the  82nd  Division  relieving  that  of  the  2nd  Division,  with 
Headquarters  at  Millery.  Three  Field  Hospitals,  the  325th,  326th 
and  327tli,  were  established  at  this  place  in  an  excellently 
equipped  French  hospital.  The  Division  occupied  both  sides  of 
the  Moselle  River  and  this  necessitated  a  plan  for  the  evacuation 
of  the  sick  and  wounded  on  both  sides  of  the  river  in  case 
bridges  should  be  blown  out;  therefore  dressing  stations  were 
established  at  Pont-a-Mons  by  the  325th  Ambulance  Company, 
on  the  right  side  of  the  river,  and  by  the  827th  Ambulance 
Company  at  Blenod-lcs-Pont-a-Mousson,  on  the  left  side  of  the 
river.  The  Headquarters  of  this  company,  together  with  the 
328th  Field  Hospital,  which  acted  as  a  triage  for  the  left  side 
of  the  river,  was  located  in  an  old  tannery  at  Dieulouard. 
Preparatory  to  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  one  medical  officer  and  sixty 
men  were  sent  to  each  infantry  brigade  and  these,  together 
with  twelve  men  from  each  company  of  line  organizations  who 
had  been  specially  trained  as  litter  bearers,  were  used  to  aid 
medical  detachments  in  evacuating  the  sick  and  wounded;  als© 
officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  were  sent  to  brigade  and 
regimental  headquarters  as  medical  liaison  officers.  The  prin- 
cipal casualties  of  the  St.  Mihiel  drive  were  sustained  by  the 
328th  Infantry  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  and  were  evacuated 
through  the  triage  at  Dieulouard. 

The  selection  of  the  tannery  as  a  location  for  a  triage  was 
an  unfortunate  one.  It  was  just  in  the  rear  of  a  large  naval 
gun  and  had  absolutely  no  protection  from  enemy  shell  fire.  It 
was  shelled  for  four  consecutive  nights.  On  the  morning  of 
September  17,  1918,  it  was  hit  by  an  enemy  shell  and  six  men 
were  killed  and  four  wounded.  Fortunately,  there  were  no 
patients  at  the  Hospital  at  this  time,  and  the  highest  type  of 
discipline  and  courage  was  shown  by  the  officers  and  men. 

The  evacuation  of  the  wounded  during  the  St.  Mihiel  drive 
proceeded  in  an  orderly  and  efficient  manner  from  the  front 
line  to  the  dressing  stations  at  Blenod-les-Pont-^-Mousson  to 
the  triage  at  Dieulouard,  thence  to  the  group  of  hospitals  at 
Millery  and  thence  to  the  Evacuation  Hospital  to  the  rear.    The 


268  OFFICIAL  HISTOBY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Medical  Department  was  by  this  time  well  trained  and  fully 
capable  of  proper  functioning. 

The  Sanitary  Train,  with  S.S.  Unit  No.  647,  moved  by  French 
trucks  from  the  Marbache  to  the  Argonne  sector  the  latter  part 
of  September,  1918.  The  Train  had  been  splendidly  equipped 
in  the  Marbache  sector,  having  everything  necessary  for  the  full 
performance  of  its  duties,  except  ambulances,  and  this  deficiency 
was  overcome  by  S.S.  Unit  No.  647.  On  account  of  lack  of 
transportation,  a  large  part  of  this  equipment  was  left  at  Millery, 
so  when  the  Sanitary  Train  began  to  function  in  the  Argonne 
Forest  it  was  very  short  of  equipment  in  the  medical  supplies. 
Later  on  a  few  trucks  were  sent  back  for  a  part  of  the  supplies 
left  at  Millery  and  others  were  obtained  by  the  energetic  work 
of  Capt.  William  F.  Coleman,  S.  C,  Division  Medical  Supply 
Officer,  so  that  the  Sanitary  Train  was  again  able  to  function 
with  a  higher  degree  of  efficiency. 

While  the  Division  Vvas  in  reserve  in  the  Argonne  Forest 
various  dressing  stations  and  field  hospitals  were  established  to 
meet  the  medical  needs  of  the  Division.  On  October  6,  1918, 
Field  Hospitals  326  and  328  were  moved  to  crossroads  near 
Varennes,  the  former  to  act  as  a  Gas  Hospital  and  the  latter 
as  a  triage.  Field  Hospital  325  was  held  at  Clermont  as  a 
hospital  for  ordinary  sick  and  exhaustion  cases,  while  Field 
Hospital  327  was  held  in  reserve.  At  this  time  ambulance  dress- 
ing stations  were  established  at  Montblainville  and  L'Esperance. 
Practically  all  of  the  wounded  up  to  this  time  had  been  handled 
through  the  dressing  stations  at  L'Esperance,  a  very  few  coming 
through  the  station  at  Slontblainville.  On  the  night  of  October 
8,  1918,  the  dressing  station  at  Montblainville  was  moved  to 
Apremont.  Almost  immediately  it  handled  a  large  number  of 
v/ounded  from  the  328th  Infantry.  The  evacuation  of  the 
wounded  was  very  heavy  through  this  station  all  the  time  it 
was  located  at  Apremont.  The  village  was  repeatedly  shelled. 
On  one  occasion  a  shell  fell  about  twenty  feet  from  the  door 
of  the  dressing  station,  killing  two  men  and  slightly  wounding 
one  officer  and  one  enlisted  man.  On  October  12,  1918,  a  dressing 
station  was  established  at  Pylone,  in  the  rear  of  the  326th 
Infantry.  On  the  same  date  the  dressing  station  at  Apremont 
was  moved  to  Chatel-Chehery.  Most  of  the  wounded  on  the 
left  side  of  the  Aire  River  were  collected  at  Pylone,  and  as  the 
road  between  Pyldne  and  Cornay  was  impassable,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  evacuate  these  through  the  dressing  station  at  L'Es- 
perance, the  bridge  across  the  river  at  Apremont  having  been 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  269 

completed  at  this  time.  About  October  12,  1918,  all  field  hospitals 
of  the  Sanitary  Train  were  moved  to  a  German  hospital  site 
near  Apremont  and  here,  using  buildings  and  a  large  amount 
of  tentage,  was  established  a  hospital  section  with  a  capacity 
of  1000  patients.  On  the  night  of  October  14,  1918,  as  the 
Division  had  been  steadily  moving  forward,  ambulance  dressing 
stations  were  established  at  Fleville  and  Pleinchamp  Farm.  On 
account  of  almost  continuous  shell  fire  and  the  decreased  number 
of  casualties  due  to  the  more  or  less  stationary  position  of  the 
Division  at  this  time,  the  ambulance  dressing  station  at  Fleville 
was  abandoned  on  October  22,  1918,  the  dressing  station  at 
Pleinchamp  Farm  being  capable  of  handling  all  wounded;  and 
all  Ambulance  Company  personnel,  except  that  directly  concerned 
with  the  evacuation  of  the  wounded,  were  sent  back  to  the 
Field  Hospital  Section  near  Apremont.  The  Division  having 
had  long  continued  front  line  service  was  greatly  depleted  by 
the  evacuation  of  both  sick  and  wounded.  At  the  direction  of 
the  Commanding  General,  those  suffering  from  colds,  exhaustion 
and  diarrhoea  were  held  at  the  Field  Hospitals,  given  baths, 
proper  food  and  medical  care  and  were  returned  to  the  front 
line  in  from  three  to  seven  days,  fully  equipped  with  ordnance 
and  quartermaster  property.  The  Field  Hospitals  were  caring 
for  over  800  patients,  with  shells  falling  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
hospitals  day  and  night  and  with  nightly  bombing  activities 
going  on.  The  care  of  this  number  of  sick  so  near  the  front 
line,  and  sending  them  back  to  duty  fully  equipped,  is  believed 
to  be  a  unique  experience  in  divisional  medical  history  in  the 
American  E.  F.  To  Capt.  Catching  Therell  of  the  Quartermaster 
Department  and  Capt.  A.  C.  Jones,  of  the  Ordnance  Department, 
as  well  as  Lt.  H.  M.  Comer,  Military  Police,  is  due  much  credit 
for  the  prompt  return  of  men  from  the  hospitals  to  their  or- 
ganizations. While  here  the  Division  triage  cared  for  the  sick 
and  wounded  of  the  78th  Division  for  over  forty-eight  hours, 
the  Sanitary  Train  of  this  Division  having  been  separated 
from  it. 

On  October  27,  1918,  the  Division  Surgeon,  Col.  C.  E.  Koerper, 
M.  C,  was  relieved  from  duty  with  the  Division  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Maj.  Frederick  G.  Barfield,  M.  C.  On  October  28, 
1918,  Lt.  Col.  L.  H.  Reichelderfer,  M.  C,  was  relieved  from  duty 
as  Commanding  Officer  of  the  307th  Sanitary  Train  and  suc- 
ceeded by  Ma.1.  O.  O.  Feaster,  M.  C,  Capt.  Duncan  M.  Draughn, 
M.  C,  succeeding  Major  Feaster  as  Regimental  Surgeon  of  the 
325th  Infantry.     The  Field  Hospital  Section  was  operated  with 


270  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OP  82nd  DIVISION 

great  success,  returning  a  large  number  of  men  to  the  front 
line  until  tbe  Division  was  relieved  from  front  line  duty  Novem- 
ber 1,  1918.  Tbe  Regimental  and  Battalion  Aid  Stations  rendered 
excellent  service  and  were  moved  from  time  to  time  as  the 
needs  of  the  situations  demanded.  It  is  obviously  impossible 
in  an  article  of  this  length  to  give  their  various  activities.  It 
is  sufficient  to  say  that  at  all  times  the  commissioned  and  en- 
listed personnel  of  the  Medical  Department  gave  their  best 
services,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  sick  and  wounded  underwent 
no  suffering  that  could  be  relieved  by  their  efforts.  The  Division 
triages  handled  the  following  number  of  cases,  by  sectors: 

Toul   Sector    2,532 

Marbache   Sector    1,807 

Meuse-Argonne   Sector    9,964 

Total 14,303 

In  the  eyacuation  of  the  sick  and  wounded  from  the  ambulance 
dressing  stations  to  the  Division  triages  all  forms  of  transporta- 
tion were  used — motor  ambulances,  animal-drawn  ambulances, 
ordinary  trucks  and  ammunition  trucks;  while  from  the  triages 
to  the  evacuation  hospitals  assistance  was  rendered  by  Corps 
ambulance  companies. 

The  Division  moved  by  stages,  from  the  Argonne  Forest  to 
the  10th  Training  Area,  and  the  Sanitary  Train  established 
headquarters  at  Prangey.  Field  Hospitals  were  established  near 
Frauthoy  to  care  for  the  ordinary  sick  and  venereal  cases  of 
the  Division,  while  Camp  Hospital  No.  10  cared  for  the  other 
sick  of  the  Division. 

S.  S.  Unit.  No.  647,  under  command  of  Lt.  Leroy  Smith,  who 
had  rendered  excellent  services  during  the  entire  front  line 
activities  of  the  Division,  was  now  relieved  from  duty  with  the 
Division  and  the  Sanitary  Train  received  27  Ford  ambulances, 
which  enabled  it  to  handle  the  sick  of  the  Division. 

While  in  this  area  the  Medical  Department,  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  the  Division,  continued  training  and  special  stress  was 
laid  on  sanitation.  The  health  of  the  Division  while  in  this 
area  v/as  excellent.  However,  the  only  cases  of  typhoid  fever 
in  the  Division  since  its  formation  occurred  in  this  area.  Seven- 
teen cases  of  typhoid  fever  occurred  in  Battery  E  of  the  S21st 
F.  A.  These  cases  occurred  in  three  series  and,  in  all  three, 
were  traced  to  typhoid  caiTiers  working  in  the  kitchen.  En- 
ergetic sanitary  measures  were  adopted  and  the  incipient 
epidemic  was  checked. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION  271 

The  Division  moved,  in  early  March,  from  the  10th  Training 
Area  to  the  Bordeaux  Area,  and  from  this  time  until  embarking 
for  the  United  States  the  care  of  the  sick  was  in  charge  of 
area  organizations.  While  in  the  10th  Training  Area  and  in 
the  Bordeaux  Area  numerous  changes  occurred  in  the  commis- 
sioned personnel  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Division. 
Some  officers  were  sent  to  schools,  some  to  the  United  States 
for  discharge,  and  some  to  other  organizations  in  the  American 
E.  F. 

The  Dental  Corps  of  this  Division  rendered  praiseworthy 
service,  both  in  the  front  line  and  in  training  areas.  In  the 
front  line  they  acted  as  assistants  to  the  Regimental  and  Bat- 
talion Surgeons  and  in  training  areas  they  were  busily  occupied 
improving  the  dental  condition  of  the  Division.  From  May,  1918, 
till  the  end  of  March,  1919,  7400  teeth  were  extracted,  9232  teeth 
were  treated  and  a  total  of  40,062  dental  operations  were  per- 
formed by  the  dental  staff  of  the  Division,  which  consisted  on 
the  average  of  21  dental  officers. 

Hqrs.  82nd  Div.,  D.  S.  O.,  American  E.  F. 
April  27,  1919. 

VI 

DATA  CONCERNING 
ADJUTANT  GENERAL'S  DEPARTMENT,  82nd  DIVISION 

BY 

Lieutenant  Colonel  R.  L.  Boyd,  Division  Adjutant 

When  the  Division  was  formed,  the  Adjutant's  office  was 
organized,  with  Maj.  Charles  F.  Thompson  as  Division  Adju- 
tant, 1st  Lt.  L.  W.  DeMotte  as  Statistical  Officer,  and  Capt. 
R.  L.  Boyd  as  Personnel  Officer;  and,  inasmuch  as  the  present 
general  staff  organization  was  not  then  in  force,  much  of  the 
work,  v/hich  later  devolved  on  the  several  chiefs  of  staff,  was 
performed  by  the  Division  Adjutant.  Owing  to  the  delay  in 
receipt  of  orders  from  Washington  a  thoroughly  organized  Per- 
sonnel Section  did  not  come  into  being  until  some  time  after 
the  organization  of  the  Division,  consequently  the  select  men  were 
received  and  assigned  by  the  Statistical  Section,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Lieutenant  DeMotte;  and  due  to  a  lack  of  time  and  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  occupational  qualifications  of  the 
newly  arrived  recruits  they  were  assigned  with  little  regard 
for  suitability  for  service,  this  being  most  noticeable  in  the 
case  of  the  Divisional  Engineer  Regiment,  which,  as  first  con- 


272  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

stituted,  was  made  up  almost  entirely  of  farmers  and  laborers 
with  practically  none  of  ttie  specialists  required  by  sucli  a 
technical  organization. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the  Division  the  occupational 
census  was  inaugurated,  but  before  it  was  completed  all  of  the 
enlisted  personnel  of  the  Division,  with  the  exception  of  863 
men,  were  transferred  to  the  National  Guard  of  the  States  of 
Georgia,  Alabama  and  Tennessee,  and  immediately  the  Division 
was  refilled  by  transfer  of  men  from  the  various  National  Army 
cantonments  throughout  the  United  States.  In  practically  no 
instance  did  the  qualification  cards  accompany  the  men  so  trans- 
ferred, consequently  they  were  again  reassigned  without  proper 
attention  being  given  to  their  qualifications. 

During  the  latter  part  of  November  a  large  personnel  section 
was  organized  and  an  occupational  census  of  the  men  of  the 
Division  taken.  It  was  completed  about  January  1,  1918,  when 
almost  immediately  requisitions  began  to  come  in  from  Washing- 
ton calling  for  high  grade  specialists,  which  resulted  in  ap- 
proximately 3000  of  the  best  men  of  the  Division  being 
transferred  elsewhere,  and  a  promise  given  that  when  the  Divi- 
sion received  orders  to  proceed  overseas  they  would  be  replaced 
by  specialists  from  other  cantonments.  However,  this  promise 
was  not  lived  up  to,  for  when  it  was  seen  that  the  Division 
would  proceed  overseas  at  an  early  date  a  requisition  was  placed 
for  the  necessary  specialists  needed  by  the  various  organizations, 
and  the  reply  received  from  the  Adjutant  General's  Office  was 
to  the  effect  that  it  was  impracticable  to  furnish  these  specialists, 
and  that  the  shortage  in  the  Division  would  be  filled  by  the 
"run  of  the  draft."  After  arrival  overseas  further  requisitions 
were  placed  for  these  specialists  but  they  were  never  furnished, 
from  which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Division  was  never  ade- 
quately supplied  with  the  necessary  specialists;  and  insofar  as 
this  Division  is  concerned  this  much  advertised  personnel  assign- 
ment system  proved  to  be  very  much  of  a  detriment  rather 
than  a  help. 

In  November,  1917,  Major  Thompson  was  appointed  Assistant 
Chief  of  Staff  (G-2),  and  Maj.  Troup  Miller  was  appointed 
Adjutant.  Just  prior  to  the  departure  of  the  Division  for 
services  overseas  Major  Miller  was  appointed  Assistant  Chief 
of  Staff  (G-1),  being  succeeded  as  Adjutant  by  Lt.  Col.  John 
R.  Thomas,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Statistical  Section  was 
merged  with  the  Personnel  Section,  and  at  the  time  of  embarka- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  273 

tion  the  commissioned  personnel  of  the  Adjutant's  office  consisted 
of  Lt.  Col.  John  R.  Thomas,  Adjutant ;  Capt.  George  C.  Woodraff 
and  Capt.  Harry  C.  Kaefring,  Assistant  Adjutants;  Maj.  R.  L. 
Boyd,  Personnel  Officer;  1st  Lt.  W.  B.  Sparks,  Jr.,  and  2nd  Lt. 
James  H.  Fee,  Assistant  Personnel  Officers. 

On  June  13,  "  1918,  Lt.  Col.  Thomas  was  relieved  from  duty 
as  Division  Adjutant  and  sent  to  the  Army  Staff  College  as 
a  student,  and  Major  Boyd  was  assigned  as  Division  Adjutant, 
and  1st  Lt.  Sparks  assigned  as  Personnel  Officer,  and  his  title 
changed  to  Personnel  Adjutant  under  G.  H.  Q.  orders. 

While  in  training  with  the  British  Army  the  necessity  for 
dividing  Division  Headquarters  into  two  or  more  echelons  arose, 
and  the  Adjutant's  office  was  assigned  to  the  second  echelon. 
When  an  active  sector  was  reached  it  was  found  that  one  of 
the  most  important  and  interesting  features  of  the  Adjutant's 
office  was  securing  and  forwarding  replacement  personnel,  which 
work  did  not  assume  very  large  proportions  in  either  the  Toul 
or  Marbache  sectors,  and  replacements  were  handled  through 
the  Trains  Headquarters  under  the  supervision  of  the  Adjutant; 
however,  when  the  Division  entered  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive 
it  was  seen  that  replacements  in  large  numbers  must  be  handled, 
consequently  Division  Headquarters  was  divided  into  three 
echelons,  the  Adjutant's  office  in  the  third  echelon,  which,  during 
this  entire  offensive,  remained  at  Grange-le-Comte  Farm,  where 
it  became  necessary  to  establish  a  large  replacement  camp,  under 
the  command  of  the  Division  Adjutant,  where  replacements  were 
received  and  held  in  this  camp  until  they  could,  under  cover  of 
darkness,  be  forv^^arded  to  the  units  needing  them.  At  one  time 
this  replacement  camp  had  as  many  as  2500  men  in  it. 

During  this  same  offensive  it  was  found  that  the  usual  plan 
of  handling  battle  casualty  statistics  and  reports  was  not 
feasible,  as  company  clerks  who  remained  with  their  organiza- 
tions were  being  killed  and  records  lost,  so  the  revolutionary 
plan  of  moving  all  company  clerks  and  company  records  back 
to  Division  Headquarters  was  decided  on,  which  resulted  in 
relieving  the  company  commanders  from  making  reports  to  Divi- 
sion Headquarters,  and  instead  Division  Headquarters  furnished 
the  company  commander  with  all  statistical  figures  and  records 
needed  by  him.  This  necessitated  securing  all  information 
relative  to  men  killed  and  wounded  from  the  Division  triage, 
where  a  representative  of  the  Adjutant's  office  was  placed,  and 
daily  reports  of  the  men  passing  through  were  forwarded  to 
Division  Headquarters,  and  each  day  the  company  commander 


274  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION 

was  furnished  with  the  names  of  his  men  who  had  been 
evacuated,  and  in  a  similar  manner  information  was  secured  from 
the  burial  parties   as  to  the   men   killed. 

This  plan  enabled  a  much  more  accurate  compilation  of  casual- 
ties, and  at  the  same  time  relieved  the  company  commander 
of  practically  all  paper  work  at  a  time  when  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  devote  his  attention  to  battle  activities. 

When  the  Division  went  into  the  training  area,  after  the  armis- 
tice, the  company  clerks  were  returned  to  their  organizations, 
and  the  former  method  of  paper  work  was  resumed. 

At  the  time  the  Division  received  orders  to  return  to  the 
United  States  the  commissioned  personnel  of  the  Adjutant's  office 
consisted  of  the  following: 

Lt.  Col.  R.  L.  Boyd,  Adjutant;  Maj.  George  C.  Woodruff, 
Assistant  Adjutant;  Capt.  Willis  B.  Sparks,  Jr.,  Personnel 
Adjutant;  1st  Lt.  R.  M.  Bush,  Assistant  Personnel  Adjutant; 
2nd  Lt.  James  H.  Fee,  Assistant  Personnel  Adjutant;  Capt. 
Robert  H.  Diamond,  Officer  in  charge  of  casuals;  and  2nd  Lt. 
Joseph  M.  Austin,  Division  Postal  Officer.  However,  owing  to 
many  changes  in  commissioned  personnel  the  Division  arrived 
back  in  the  United  States  with  the  following  officers  on  duty 
with  the  Adjutant's  office: 

Lt.  Col.  R.  L.  Boyd,  Adjutant;  Maj.  Joseph  F.  Muldrow, 
Assistant  Adjutant;  Capt.  Ira  N.  Sprecher,  Personnel  Adjutant; 
1st  Lt.  R.  M.  Bush,  Assistant  Personnel  Adjutant;  2nd  Lt. 
Robert  E.  Cox,  Assistant  Personnel  Adjutant;  and  2nd  Lt. 
Joseph  M.  Austin,  Postal  Officer. 

VII 

HISTORY   OF  THE  307th  FIELD   SIGNAL   BATTALION 

Contributed  by 

Dellman  O.  Hood,  Captain  Signal  Coeps,  U.  S.  Army 

The  307th  Field  Signal  Battalion,  of  the  82nd  Division,  Na- 
tional Array,  w^as  organized  and  trained  at  Camp  Gordon, 
Atlanta,  Ga.  The  battalion  was  first  commanded  by  Maj.  John 
E.  Hemphill,  of  the  Regular  Army.  Major  Hemphill  continued 
in  command,  in  addition  to  performing  the  duties  of  Division 
Signal  Officer,  for  several  months,  until  Capt.  Kilberth  D. 
Schaefer,  at  that  time  in  command  of  Company  B,  was  promoted 
to  the  grade  of  Major  and  placed  in  command  of  the  battalion. 

Major  Hemphill  left  Camp  Gordon  early  in  April,  1918,  with 
the  advance  party  of  the  Division  for  France.  Upon  arrival 
overseas  he  v/as  promoted  to  the  grade  of  Lieutenant-Colonel. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  275 

With  very  few  exceptions,  all  of  the  ofRcefs  and  enlisted  men 
were  men  of  many  years  practical  experience  in  telephone, 
telegraph  and  radio  communication  work.  About  60  per  cent  of 
the  enlisted  personnel  were  men  who  had  enlisted  in  the  Signal 
Reserve  Corps.  The  majority  of  these  men  came  from  the 
Middle  Western  states  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Missouri,  Indiana 
and  Ohio.  The  Radio  Company  was  made  up  largely  of  men 
from  the  radio  class,  Beloit  University,  of  Beloit,  Wisconsin. 
All  of  these  men  had  taken  special  courses  in  radio  telegraphy 
at  this  university  and  had  enlisted  in  the  Signal  Reserve  Corps. 

The  Wire  and  Outpost  Companies  had  on  their  rosters  a  large 
number  of  men  from  the  large  commercial  telephone,  telegraph 
and  railroad  companies,  who  had  enlisted  in  the  Signal  Reserve 
Corps. 

The  remainder  of  the  enlisted  personnel  were  drafted  men 
from  practically  every  section  of  the  United  States.  Upon  re- 
porting at  Camp  Gordon  these  men  were  classified  according  to 
qualifications,  those  with  previous  telephone,  telegraph  and  radio 
experience  being  assigned  to  the  Signal  Battalion.  Thus,  the 
battalion  was  an  organization  of  picked  men. 

Thanks  to  the  untiring  efforts  of  Lt.  Col.  Hemphill,  much 
telephone,  telegraph,  radio  and  optical  equipment,  of  the  type 
to  be  used  in  France,  was  procured.  With  this  equipment  a 
number  of  day  and  night  maneuvers  were  conducted  at  Camp 
Gordon. 

Lieutenant  Defert  and  Sergeant  Pazin  of  the  French  Signal 
Corps  were  attached  to  the  Battalion  as  instructors  and  remained 
with  the  organization  until  its  arrival  in  France.  These  two 
gentlemen  had  seen  two  years'  active  service  at  the  front  with 
the  French  army  and  were  a  valuable  asset  in  the  instruction 
of  the  Battalion. 

A  Division  signal  school  was  organized  by  the  Division  Signal 
Officer  w^ith  Lieutenant  Defert,  Sergeant  Pazin  and  personnel 
from  the  Signal  Battalion  as  instructors.  Telephony,  buzzer 
telegraphy,  radio,  optical  and  other  means  of  signaling  were 
taught  to  officers  and  men  from  the  infantry  signal  platoons, 
artillery  and  machine-gun  signal  details.  Many  practical 
maneuvers  in  signal  w^ork  were  conducted  for  the  benefit  of 
these  students.  The  elaborate  system  of  trenches  at  Camp  Gor- 
don was  completely  wired  up  by  the  Signal  Battalion  under 
the  direction  of  Lieutenant  Defert  and  Sergeant  Pazin,  exactly 
as  was  being  done  at  the  front  in  France. 

On  May  9,  1918,  the  Battalion  left  Camp  Gordon  for  Camp 


276  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Mills,  Long  Island.  After  a  few  days'  rest  at  Camp  Tdills,  the 
Battalion  embarked  on  the  18th  of  May  aboard  the  British  ship 
Virginian  for  overseas.  On  May  31  the  Battalion  disembarked 
at  Liverpool,  England,  proceeding  from  there  by  train  to  Win- 
chester, England,  from  which  place  it  proceeded  across  the 
English  Channel  to  Le  Havre,  France,  arriving  June  4,  1918. 
From  Le  Havre  the  Battalion  was  ordered  to  Rougeux,  Haute- 
Marne.  Here  the  Battalion  rested  a  few  days  until  orders  were 
received  to  proceed  to  Toul,  arriving  June  23.  The  follovving 
morning  the  Battalion  began  moving  into  the  Lagny  sector,  north 
of  Toul,  to  relieve  the  101st  Field  Signal  Battalion  of  the  26th 
Division. 

This  had  been  knovrn  as  a  so-called  quiet  sector,  but  due  to 
the  activities  of  the  American  troops,  characterized  by  the  raids 
at  Seicheprey  and  Xivray,  it  was  fast  becoming  semi-active. 
Previous  to  our  arrival  the  German  artillery  fire  had  been  at 
times  rather  heavy  and  it  was  decided  to  establish  Division 
Headquarters  at  Lucey  instead  of  Boucq,  which  had  been  the 
Division  P.C.  of  the  26th  Division.  This  change  necessitated 
much  readjustment  in  the  communication  system  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  several  new  trunk,  and  many  local  telephone  lines. 

Despite  the  fact  that  our  battalion  had  had  no  previous  ex- 
perience in  the  lines,  and  no  training  in  France,  the  relief  in  this 
sector  was  accomplished  with  despatch  and  without  a  hitch  in 
the  plans. 

Another  point  worthy  of  mention  is  that  of  the  close  liaison 
established  with  the  French  artillery,  Vvhich  had  relieved  the 
26th  Division  Artillery — our  artillery  being  at  that  time  in 
training  in  Southern  France.  Our  operators  quickly  acquired  a 
working  knowledge  of  the  French  language  and  telephonic  liaison 
with  the  French  was  handled  with  remarkable  despatch.  Joint 
French  and  American  switchboards  were  established  at  all  im- 
portant posts.  Our  men  and  the  French  Signal  men  worked  in 
perfect  harmony  and  soon  became  real  "buddies." 

Shortly  after  moving  into  this  sector  it  was  decided  to  move 
back  several  of  the  Regimental  P.C.'s.  During  this  movement 
about  five  miles  of  buried  cable — 30  pair,  were  laid  from  the 
regimental  P.C.'s  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  front  line. 
A  mechanical  trench-digger  was  used  for  this  purpose,  details 
of  men  following  the  trench-digger  laying  the  cable,  and  other 
details  filling  in  the  trench.  Near  the  front  lines  the  work  v/as 
carried  on  at  night,  but  a  little  farther  back  where  the  route 
extended   through   woods   it   was   possible   to    work   during  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  27T 

day  with6ut  detection  by  the  enemy.  No  work  was  left  un- 
covered during  the  day — ^that  is,  all  unfinished  work  was  carefully 
camouflaged,  in  order  to  prevent  the  enemy  aeroplanes  from 
making  photographs  of  the  project. 

This  being  a  fairly  quiet  sector,  an  extensive  optical  system 
was  operated  with  a  considerable  degree  of  success.  This  sys- 
tem, however,  was  not  needed  for  practical  use  and  was  main- 
tained merely  as  an  emergency  means  of  communication. 

T.  P.  S.  (Earth  Telegraphy)  was  installed  and  used  between 
Regimental  and  Battalion  P.C.'s.  Radio  communication  was 
established  between  Regimental  and  Brigade  P.C.'s,  and  from 
Brigades  to  Division.  Buzzer-phones  were  used  between  Bat- 
talion and  Company  P.C.'s.  An  E-3  radio  set  was  installed  at 
Division  Headquarters  and  used  for  listening-in  on  German  radio 
stations.  Every  radio  station,  in  fact,  listened-in  and  copied  all 
German  messages,  which  were  turned  in  daily  to  our  Intelligence 
section.  The  telephone,  however,  was  our  practical  means  of 
communication,  all  other  methods  being  maintained  as  emergency 
means  and  for  test  purposes. 

On  the  night  of  August  4,  1918,  the  German  lines  north  of 
Flirey  were  raided  by  the  826th  Infantry.  The  Signal  detail 
attached  to  the  Regiment  from  the  Outpost  Company  and  com- 
manded by  1st  Lt.  Glenn  S.  Matthews,  went  "over  the  top"  with 
the  infantry  and  maintained  telephonic  communication  through- 
out the  raid,  despite  the  heavy  and  almost  continuous  counter- 
barrage  laid  down  by  the  Germans.  The  wire  used  was  No.  22 
twisted  pair,  or  better  known  as  small  "outpost  twist."  It  was 
carried  forvv^ard  on  spools  containing  about  one  kilometer  of 
circuit  and  each  spool  transported  by  two  signal  men.  Details 
of  two  men  each  were  dropped  about  every  hundred  yards  or 
more  to  test  in  and  repair  breaks.  During  this  operation  the 
Signal  Battalion  had  three  men  wounded. 

On  the  night  of  August  8-9,  during  the  relief  of  the  82nd 
Division  by  the  89th  Division,  the  German  artillery  filled  the 
valley  around  Bayard,  north  of  Noviant,  with  a  high  gas  con- 
centration. Without  a  thought  to  their  personal  safety.  Corporals 
McClendon,  Aikens  and  Grubbs,  and  Privates  Evenson,  Fenn, 
Hendrix,  Blanco  and  Taylor  remained  at  their  posts  repairing 
broken  lines  and  putting  through  telephone  calls  for  ambulances, 
and  medical  aid  and  transmitting  important  orders.  Some  of  these 
men  worked  with  their  gas  masks  on  for  eight  continuous  hours, 
and  every  man  stuck  to  his  post  until  completely  overcome  by 
the  gas  and  had  to  be  evacuated  to  hospitals.     All  were  more 


278  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

or  less  badly  gassed  aPxd  burned  with  mustard  gas,  Private 
Taylor  dying  from  injuries  received.  Nevertheless  their  devotion 
to  duty  vras  not  in  vain,  for  thanks  to  the  valor  of  these  men, 
it  was  possible  to  summon  ambulances  promptly  and  evacuate 
the  wounded  with  very  little  delay.  While  the  casualties  were 
very  heavy,  701,  to  be  exact,  there  were  very  few  deaths  because 
the  wounded  w^ere  able  to  be  evacuated  v/ithout  delay  and  receive 
prompt  treatment.  A  new  and  inexperienced  division  w^as  com- 
ing into  the  lines  for  the  first  time,  and  but  for  the  bravery 
and  cool-headedness  of  this  small  detail  of  Signal  Corps  men, 
it  would  have  been  several  hours  before  word  could  have  been 
sent  to  the  rear  and  assistance  rendered.  This  is  a  fair  exam^Dle 
of  the  type  of  men  the  Battalion  w^as  made  up  of,  and  the 
importance  of  their   work  on   the   front. 

During  our  stay  in  the  Lagny  sector,  the  Germans  attempted 
several  times  to  tap  our  telephone  and  buzzer-phone  lines  in  and 
near  the  front-line  trenches,  coming  out  for  this  purpose  during 
the  night.  They  succeeded  in  making  an  actual  tap  one  night 
near  Xivray,  but  fortunately  the  tap  w^as  soon  discovered  by 
one  of  our  linemen  patrolling  the  lines,  and  removed. 

A  thorough  code  system  was  used  in  this  area  for  both  tele- 
phone and  other  means,  and  was  very  satisfactory  for  a  time, 
but  it  was  extremely  difficult  to  hold  the  line  officers  down  to 
using  the  code  when  making  calls,  and  prevent  them  from 
talking  "in  the  clear."  It  was  quite  evident  that  the  Germans 
w^ere  provided  with  a  very  efficient  listening-in  system,  and  tliere 
is  no  doubt  but  that  they  were  able  to  pick  up  our  telephone 
conversations  at  times.  This  was  evident  from  the  way  in  which 
they  shelled  the  roads  leading  up  to  our  trenches  on  practically 
every  night  our  troops  made  a  relief.  The  gassing  of  our  lines 
on  the  night  of  the  relief  by  the  89th  Division  is  another  good 
illustration. 

On  the  morning  of  August  10  our  Battalion  was  relieved  by 
the  314th  Field  Signal  Battalion  of  the  89th  Division. 

Outside  the  trenches  in  the  Lagny  sector  our  telephone  lines 
were  run  on  stakes,  and  farther  back  it  was  possible  to  have 
pole  line  leads  of  iron  and  copper  wire.  The  majority  of  the 
wire  used,  however,  w^as  No.  17  twisted  pair,  which  stood  up 
better  under  all  conditions  and  gave  very  satisfactory  transmis- 
sion. The  small  No.  22  twist  was  very  good  for  raiding  parties 
where  it  vv^as  only  intended  to  be  used  for  a  few  hours,  but  is 
not  practical  for  permanent  or  even  semi-permanent  use,  as  it 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  279 

will  not  function  during  wet  weather  and  is  easily  broken  by 
concussion   from  shells. 

It  was  also  decided  during  our  stay  in  the  Lagny  sector  to 
make  some  changes  in  the  distributions  of  our  Signal  personnel. 
Originally,  each  regiment  w^as  assigned  a  platoon  from  the  Out- 
post Company  under  command  of  a  Signal  Corps  lieutenant; 
small  details  from  the  Wire  and  Radio  Companies  were  assigned 
to  each  Brigade  P.C.  under  command  of  a  B  Company  lieutenant, 
the  remainder  of  A  and  B  Company  personnel  w^orking  out  of 
Division  Headquarters.  It  was  soon  discovered,  however,  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  maintenance  and  operations  of  the 
telephone  net  fell  to  the  lot  of  Company  B,  which  operated  from 
Division  Headquarters  inclusive  to  Regimental  P.C's  exclusive. 
This  is  a  small  company  of  75  men,  which  was  found  inadequate 
to  handle  the  work  properly  in  so  large  an  area. 

To  strengthen  these  details,  each  Outpost  Platoon  detailed  six 
men  to  its  respective  brigade,  giving  each  brigade  twelve  men 
from  the  Outpost  Company,  eight  from  the  Wire  Company  and 
ten  from  the  Radio  Company.  In  addition,  there  were  generally 
six  to  eight  men  available  from  the  Brigade  Pleadquarters  In- 
fantry detail.  One  Signal  Corps  truck  was  assigned  to  each 
brigade.  Each  regiment  furnished  their  Signal  Corps  detail  one 
G.S.  wagon,  and  in  some  cases  the  battalion  details  were 
furnished  an  ammunition  cart  to  transport  their  signal  property. 
Communications  from  the  Regimental  P.C's  forward  were 
handled  by  the  Outpost  Company  platoon  attached  to  the  regi- 
ment. The  Radio  Company  assigned  one  non-commissioned  officer 
to  each  infantry  regiment,  he  being  in  charge  of  the  radio, 
T.  P.  S.  and  optical  liaison  within  the  regiment.  The  Infantry 
Signal  platoon  under  command  of  an  infantry  officer  worked  in 
conjunction   with  the   Signal  Corps  platoon. 

This  distribution  of  personnel  remained  unchanged  during  the 
remainder  of  the  operation  of  the  82nd  Division  at  the  front. 

From  August  10  to  August  17  the  Signal  Battalion  was  in 
training  at  Blenod-los-Toul,  from  which  place  it  was  ordered 
with  the  Division  to  the  Marbache  sector,  north  of  Nancy,  where 
we  relieved  the  First  Field  Signal  Battalion  of  the  Second 
Division. 

The  Marbache  sector  was  also  known  as  a  quiet  sector  and 
the  signal  work  was  of  a  similar  nature  as  of  that  in  the 
Lagny  sector.  Much  work  was  done,  however,  in  improving  the 
existing  buried  cable  and  aerial  telephone  lines,  many  of  which 
had  been  in  existence  for  four  years,  having  been  constructed 


280  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

by  the  French  and  now  in  very  poor  condition.  This  v/ork  was 
in  preparation  for  the  offensive  of  the  American  First  Army, 
which  had  for  its  purpose  the  elimination  of  the  famous  St. 
Mihiel  Salient. 

This  was  a  favorite  sector  with  the  Germans  for  air  raids — 
the  towns  of  Marbache  (Division  Headquarters),  Dieulouard 
and  Millery  generally  being  the  targets.  One  night  during  the 
early  part  of  September  all  trunks  from  Division  Headquarters 
forward  were  put  out  of  commission  for  a  few  minutes  as  a 
result  of  several  large  aerial  bombs  dropped  by  enemy  aeroplanes. 
Although  these  bombs  exploded  fully  200  feet  from  our  telephone 
lines,  which  were  on  standard  poles,  yet  the  concussion  was 
sufficient  to  break  every  line  on  both  forward  leads. 

It  was  in  this  sector  that  the  Divisional  Artillery,  the  157th 
Field  Artillery  Brigade,  joined  the  Division,  relieving  the  15th 
Field  Artillery  Brigade,  of  the  2nd  Division.  The  Artillery  Signal 
details  connected  their  units  with  all  Signal  Corps  switchboards 
and  maintained  their  own  telephone  lines.  In  addition,  they 
also  operated  their  own  radio  and  projector  stations.  1st  Lt. 
Walter  C.  Kiesel  was  detailed  from  the  Signal  Battalion  as 
liaison  officer  with  the  artillery  brigade. 

The  Signal  Corps  and  artillery  worked  in  close  cooperation, 
each  using  the  other's  lines  in  cases  of  emergency.  This  proved 
to  be  a  very  convenient  and  valuable  arrangement  for  both. 

In  the  St.  Mihiel  offensive  on  the  morning  of  September  13, 
the  Signal  Corps  men  went  over  the  top  with  their  "doughboy" 
comrades;  1st  Lt.  Clayborne  Arthur  and  the  Fourth  Outpost 
platoon  of  the  Signal  Battalion  were  attached  to  the  328th 
Infantry  Regiment.  Shortly  after  the  troops  arrived  at  Norroy, 
Lieutenant  Arthur  had  his  telephone  line  into  the  town  and 
ready  to  flash  back  the  information  that  Norroy  had  been 
taken.  In  this  advance  Lieutenant  Arthur  used  the  small  No. 
22  twisted  pair.  The  circuit  v/orked  fairly  well  for  a  short 
time,  but  a  heavy  rain  started  and  the  line  was  soon  unservice- 
able. To  overcome  this,  a  buzzer-phone  was  connected  to  the 
line  and  fairly  good  transmission  obtained  by  buzzer  telegraphy. 
A  new  line  of  No.  17  twisted  pair  was  laid  the  following  night 
and  telephonic  communication  reestablished.  During  this  offen- 
sive the  Signal  Battalion  lost  two  men  killed  and  more  than 
a  dozen  wounded. 

On  September  20,  the  90th  Division  took  over  the  position  of 
our  troops  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Moselle  River  and  the  French 
the  position  on  the  right  bank.     Our  Division  came  out  of  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  281 

lines  and  withdrew  into  the  area  just  north  of  Nancy,  Signal 
Battalion  Headquarters  being  established  at  Liverdun.  Orders 
were  received  on  September  22  to  proceed  to  the  Argonne  Forest, 
where  our  real  work  was  to  begin. 

During  the  stay  of  the  Division  in  the  Marbache  sector,  a 
radio  station  was  established  on  Mousson  Hill,  in  addition  to 
the  Division,  Brigade  and  Regimental  stations.  Several  optical 
stations  were  also  established  at  observation  posts  along  the 
front  lines.  It  was  not  possible  to  make  much  use  of  the  optical 
stations,  however,  as  they  most  invariably  drew  fire  from  the 
German  batteries.  The  optical  station  at  the  Port-sur-Seille  ob- 
servation post  rendered  excellent  service  on  several  occasions 
in  sending  back  warnings  of  gas  attacks.  It  was  an  easy  matter 
for  German  aeroplanes  to  come  over  and  locate  the  position  of 
these  optical  stations,  thereby  disclosing  the  location  of  our 
O.P.'s  and  other  important  posts. 

In  addition  to  the  Division,  Brigade  and  Regimental  switch- 
boards, relay  boards  were  located  at  Pont-a-Mousson,  Millery 
and  Belleville. 

Shortly  before  the  Battalion  left  the  Marbache  sector  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Hemphill  was  transferred  to  the  Eighth  Army  Corps 
as  Corps  Signal  Officer,  being  relieved  by  Lt.  Col.  George  E.  B. 
Daily.  It  was  with  profound  regret  that  the  307th  said  good-by 
to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Hemphill.  He  was  idolized  by  every 
oflicer  and  man  in  the  Battalion.  Though  possessing  an  extremely 
stern  personality  and  always  insisting  upon  the  strictest  dis- 
cipline, his  heart  was  of  gold  and  the  307th  Field  Signal  Bat- 
talion was  always  uppermost  in  his  thoughts.  Everyone  felt 
that  his  transfer  was  a  serious  loss  to  our  Battalion. 

The  Battalion  moved  into  the  Argonne  Forest  on  the  night 
of  September  25,  Battalion  Headquarters  being  established  in  the 
woods  about  500  meters  southwest  of  Rarecourt.  On  October 
4  the  Battalion  moved  up  to  Varennes  which  had  just  been  cap- 
tured by  the  35th  Division.  Division  Headquarters  were  estab- 
lished at  Varennes  the  same  day.  Both  the  163rd  and  164th 
Brigades  were  located  in  the  woods  west  of  Varennes  with  both 
Brigade  Headquarters  in  the  old  German  rest  camp  at  Champ- 
Mahaut.  Two  lines  were  laid  from  this  point  to  Varennes — 
the  circuits  being  tied-in  on  trees  where  possible,  and  across 
open  fields  it  was  laid  out  on  the  ground.  All  four  regiments 
and  the  three  machine-gun  battalions  near  by  were  given  tele- 
phonic communication.  In  addition  a  line  was  put  in  from  the 
joint  brigade  board  to  the  77th  Division  Headquarters  board  at 


282  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Champ  Mahaut.  This  gave  us  an  emergency  outlet  to  Varennes 
via   the   77tli   board   and   the   Corps   line. 

On  the  night  of  October  6,  the  327th  and  328th  Infantry  regi- 
ments went  into  the  lines  along  the  Aire  River  east  of  Ch3.tel- 
Chehery  and  the  following  morning  went  over  the  top. 

Our  No.  17  twisted  pair  was  now  getting  scarce,  and  most 
of  our  new  supplies  of  wire  was  P.  O.  D.  twist,  which  although 
a  little  smaller  than  No.  17,  was  of  much  better  grade  than 
No.  22. 

The  difficult  task  of  carrying  the  telephone  lines  forward  with 
the  attack  of  the  164th  Brigade  was  accomplished  by  Company 
B  as  far  forward  as  tlje  Regimental  P.C.'s  and  from  there  for- 
ward by  the  Outpost  platoons  assigned  to  the  327th  and  328th  In- 
fantry regiments.  Capt.  William  T.  Busch,  then  in  command 
of  Company  B  laid  two  axis  lines  forward  from  Varennes  to 
Chaudron  Farm  where  164th  Brigade  Headquarters  and  the 
Advance  Information  Center  were  established.  This  work  was 
accomplished  in  a  driving  rain  and  during  the  night  which  was 
pitch  dark.  In  addition  to  this  handicap,  the  men  were  forced 
to  work  along  roads  badly  congested  with  truck  trains  and 
artillery  moving  up  to  the  front.  These  tvv^o  circuits  from 
Varennes  to  Chaudron  Farm  were  laid  out  by  truck  part  of 
the  way  and  the  remainder  by  wire  carts.  The  wire  was  reeled 
off  the  rear  of  the  truck  by  placing  the  v/ooden  spools  upon  a 
digging  bar  placed  across  the  rear  of  the  truck.  As  the  wiring 
party  neared  Baulny  and  Chaundron  Farm  they  were  subjected  to 
heavy  artillery  fire. 

The  work  of  maintaining  lines  from  the  164th  Brigade  P.C. 
to  the  P.C.'s  of  the  327th  and  328th  Infantry  regiments  was  in 
charge  of  1st  Lt.  Clarence  G.  Shriver,  164th  Brigade  Signal 
Officer.  Plis  task  was  extremely  difficult.  His  route  extended 
across  fields  that  were  a  sea  of  mud;  in  many  places  it  was 
necessary  to  cross  the  Aire  River  and  other  smaller  streams 
swollen  by  the  heavy  rains.  His  men  were  continually  under 
shell  fire,  which  also  wrecked  his  lines  at  times  almost  as  fast 
as  they  could  be  laid  out  or  repaired.  In  addition  artillery 
pieces  and  ammunition  carts  were  continually  moving  over  the 
telephone  lines  and  breaking  them.  The  work  v/as  being  done 
in  pitch  darkness.  It  was  impossible  of  course  to  use  trucks 
so  near  the  front  lines  and  the  spools  of  wire  had  to  be  carried 
forward  by  hand.  This  was  usually  done  by  a  detail  of  four 
men,  with  from  four  to  six  men  additional  to  work  shifts  in 
carrying  the  wire  and  to  replace  casualties.     It  was  not  alto- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82^-D  DIVISION  2S3 

gether  a  satisfactory  method,  but  the  best  that  could  be  done 
under  the  circumstances,  as  all  of  our  equipment  was  for  trench 
warfare  and  practically  no  equipment  for  open  warfare,  except- 
ing wire  carts,  which  w^ere  as  useless  as  trucks  near  the  front 
line.  And  our  Brigade  P.C.'s  were  generally  quite  near  to  the 
front  lines.  We  made  considerable  use  of  our  wire  carts  as  far 
up  as  was  possible  to  take  them,  but  their  value  was  consider- 
ably cut  down  due  to  the  small  amount  of  circuit  that  could 
be  carried  on  the  cart  drums.  These  carts  were  built  to  hold 
five  miles  of  single  wire,  or  two  and  a  half  miles  of  metallic 
circuit.  This  wire  was  not  very  good  for  metallic  circuits,  how- 
ever, due  to  induction  and  cross  talk.  A  further  handicap  was 
the  difficulty  in  carrying  food  for  the  animals  and  the  congestion 
of  the  roads. 

Maintaining  communications  in  open  warfare  under  these  con- 
ditions therefore  was  an  enormous  task.  Stringing  lines  on  poles, 
stakes  or  trees  was  out  of  the  question.  First,  the  infantry 
advanced  too  rapidly.  Second,  there  were  no  poles,  no  stakes 
and  in  many  places  no  trees.  Details  followed  up,  however, 
readjusting  the  lines  and  getting  them  off  the  roads  and  tying 
in  on  trees  where  possible.  In  order  to  keep  up  with  the  fast 
moving  infantry  it  was  necessary  for  the  advance  wiring  parties 
to  lay  their  lines  out  on  the  ground  as  they  advanced.  In  this 
manner  we  were  able  to  keep  up  telephone  communication  as 
far  forward  as  regimental  P.C.'s  practically  without  interrup- 
tion. The  lines  were  continually  being  broken  of  course  by  the 
enemy  shell  fire  and  our  own  artillery  pieces  and  ammunition 
carts  moving  over  them,  but  by  stationing  details  every  few 
hundred  yards  along  the  route,  repairs  were  made  almost  in- 
stantaneously. 

Communication  from  the  regiments  forward,  however,  was  a 
different  question.  It  was  almost  impossible  at  times,  but  most 
of  the  time  the  regimental  commanders  were  able  to  communi- 
cate with  their  battalion  commanders  by  telephone.  This  work 
was  in  charge  of  1st  Lt.  Clayborne  Arthur  with  the  328th  In- 
fantry and  2nd  Lt.  Harvey  E.  Hannaford  with  the  327th.  Lines 
were  carried  forward  by  hand  the  same  as  from  brigade  to 
regiments.  Their  task  was  all  the  more  difficult  as  the  men 
had  to  work  through  machine-gun  fire  as  well  as  artillery  fire 
and  gas.  The  lines  were  shot  out  more  frequently  and  the 
Battalion  P.C.'s  were  changing  continually;  the  supplies  of  wire 
ran  out  rapidly  and  it  was  difficult  to  bring  up  fresh  supplies. 
In  spite  of  these  handicaps,  Lieutenants  Arthur  and  Hannaford 


284  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

rendered  excellent  service,  going  out  personally  with  their  men 
and  making  repairs  themselves.  Too  much  credit  can  not  be 
given  to  these  regimental  and  battalion  signal  men;  their  work 
was  hazardous;  in  fact  they  were  under  fire  and  working 
through  gas  practically  all  of  the  time;  they  had  no  time  to 
seek  shelter;  their  work  lay  in  the  open. 

A  division  axis  was  always  the  first  thing  to  be  established, 
extending  from  Division  Headquarters  along  the  line  of  advance 
as  far  forward  as  the  wires  could  be  carried.  One  main  axis 
line  was  carried  forward  from  division  to  each  brigade,  two 
extra  lines  laid  as  soon  as  positions  could  be  consolidated.  We 
also  carried  one  line  forward  on  the  axis  for  use  by  the  artillery 
brigade.  The  latter  maintained  their  own  lines  within  their 
own  units.  Artillery  regiments  and  brigade  were  also  connected 
with  the  nearest  Signal  Corps  switchboard.  This  work  was  done 
by  the  artillery  and  Signal  Corps  detail  jointly.  Small  details 
were  placed  along  these  axis  lines  at  frequent  intervals  to  test 
in  and  repair  breaks. 

We  had  received  a  few  replacements  after  reaching  Varennes. 
Lieutenant  Matthews  was  missing  in  action.  2nd  Lt.  Timothy 
J.  Murphy  reported  to  us  at  Varennes  on  October  3  and  was 
assigned  temporarily  to  Company  B. 

On  the  night  of  October  6,  Lieutenant  Murphy  was  given  a 
detail  of  12  signal  men  and  ordered  to  lay  a  line  from  Chaudron 
Farm,  which  had  just  been  taken  by  the  First  Division,  to  an 
O.P.  location,  w^eU  out  in  front  and  to  the  top  of  Hill  224. 
Although  it  was  Lieutenant  Murphy's  first  experience  at  the 
front,  he  set  out  with  his  little  detail  and  the  wire  was  laid 
during  a  high  gas  concentration  and  through  heavy  machine-gun 
and  shell  fire.  Two  of  his  men  were  killed  outright  and  two 
wounded.  A  Y.M.C.A.  man  from  the  1st  Division  who  had 
volunteered  to  direct  Lieutenant  Murphy  toward  the  location 
was  also  killed.  Several  times  this  detail  of  men  were  completely 
covered  w^ith  earth  from  exploding  shells.  Returning  from  this 
duty  about  dawn,  he  carried  another  line  to  the  First  Division 
advance  P.C.  and  another  to  the  164th  Brigade  P.C.  of  our 
Division,  which  was  then  making  its  famous  flanking  attack 
across  the  Aire  River  against  Hills  180,  223,  La  Forge  Farm 
and  Cornay. 

On  October  8  Lieutenant  Murphy  was  transferred  to  the  Out- 
post Company,  and  assigned  in  command  of  the  Second  Platoon 
attached  to  the  326th  Infantry  of  the  163rd  Brigade,  who  were 
going  in  to   relieve  the  28th  Division  on  the  left  side  of  the 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  285 

river.  1st  Lt.  John  O.  Burnette  was  in  command  of  the  First 
Outpost  Platoon  attached  to  the  325th  Infantry,  and  Lt.  Dell- 
mann  O.  Hood,  who  had  the  previous  day  been  promoted  to 
Captain,  was  the  163rd  Brigade  Signal  Officer.  This  relief  of 
the  28th  Division  was  made  during  the  night  in  a  driving  rain 
storm  on  roads  and  across  fields  that  were  a  sea  of  mud.  About 
this  time  the  325th  Infantry  was  detached  from  the  163rd 
Brigade  and  attached  to  the  164th  Brigade,  which  had  suffered 
heavily  in  casualties.  Lieutenant  Burnette  was  seriously 
wounded  on  October  9  and  evacuated.  Sergeant  First  Class 
James  M.  Davis  assumed  command  of  the  platoon,  and  since 
has  received  one  Division,  and  one  Regimental  citation  for  the 
excellent  manner  in  which  he  handled  it. 

The  326th  Infantry  jumped  off  at  La  Pelette  Ravine,  Signal 
Corps  men  going  over  with  them  and  installing  lines  from  this 
ravine  forward  with  the  advanced  attacking  elements.  The 
brigade  detail  under  command  of  Captain  Hood  followed  upon 
the  heels  of  the  regimental  details  establishing  communications 
from  brigade  to  regiment.  The  work  of  keeping  the  brigades 
connected  with  Division  Headquarters  was  being  carried  out  by 
details  from  Company  B  in  command  of  Captain  Busch.  It  was 
possible  to  do  this  work  with  the  use  of  tmcks  and  wire 
carts. 

This  work  carried  us  through  the  very  heart  of  the  Argonne 
Woods,  through  constant  shelling,  gassing  and  machine-gun  fire. 
Rain  fell  in  torrents  practically  without  let  up.  We  were  forced 
to  work  during  the  night  through  pitch  darkness,  feeling  and 
groping  our  way  along  and  finding  our  way  as  best  possible. 
Our  advance  was  carried  forward  through  Le  Chgne-Tondu,  La 
Besogne,  Pylone,  Marcq,  and  later  St.  Juvin  and  Hill  182.  Gen- 
eral Cronin,  commanding  the  163rd  Brigade,  generally  main- 
tained his  P.C.  at  the  same  place  or  near  by  the  325th  or  326th 
Regimental  P.C.'s  until  our  movements  became  more  stationary. 
When  this  was  the  case  we  were  able  to  consolidate  more  or  less 
regimental  and  brigade  signal  details  and  work  both  ways.  Near 
Marcq,  during  the  attack  upon  St.  Juvin,  it  was  necessary  to 
filter  our  signal  men  across  the  Aire  River  to  the  right,  or  east 
side,  and  follow  up  the  attack  from  the  southeast.  The  Signal 
Corps  Platoon  with  the  326th  Infantry  carried  a  line  from  the 
Regimental  P.C.  at  Pylone  down  the  Decauville  railroad,  through 
the  woods,  and  across  the  Aire  River  to  the  P.C.  of  the  325th 
Infantry.  The  maintenance  of  this  line  was  an  example  of  the 
courage  displayed  by  our  men,  it  being  necessary  to  work  through 


28G  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

a  river  valley  filled  with  gas  and  constantly  under  machine-gun 
and  artillery  fire,  at  times  amounting  to  nearly  a  barrage.  Ser- 
geant Arthur  De  Haven  crossed  the  Aire  River  eight  times  on 
this  night  before  he  could  complete  his  line  to  the  325th.  Time 
and  again  he  went  back  and  forth  to  make  repairs. 

The  163rd  Brigade  was  relieved  here  by  the  77th  Division, 
and  moved  its  P.C.  to  Cornay,  the  326th  crossing  the  Aire  and 
taking  up  a  position  to  the  left  of  the  325th  with  Regimental 
P.C.  about  half  a  kilometer  southeast  of  St.   Juvin. 

One  of  the  Battalion  P.C.'s  of  the  326th  was  located  in  the 
town  proper.  The  relieving  battalion  of  the  77th  Division  came 
up  vv4thout  a  Signal  Corps  detail,  or  any  Signal  equipment. 
Sergeant  Wilbur  P.  Stanley,  of  the  Signal  Corps  Platoon  with 
the  326th  Infantry,  remained  with  this  battalion  of  the  77th 
Division  and  maintained  communication  for  them  until  their 
Signal  men  came  up  the  following  day.  He  was  given  ten  men 
from  his  platoon.  During  this  work  he  lost  one  man  killed 
and  two  wounded.  In  addition,  we  left  two  telephones  and  a 
four-line  switchboard  for  use  by  the  77th.  They  also  took 
over  a  line  for  their  use,  which  we  had  previously  put  in  from 
Pylone  to  La  Besogne,  saying  that  they  expected  to  establish 
a  Battalion  P.C.  at  the  latter  place  and  had  no  telephone 
communication. 

Division  Headquarters  had  subsequently  moved  up  from  Va- 
rennes  to  La  Forge,  and  from  La  Forge  to  Chehery  Farm.  We 
had  anticipated  taking  over  the  lines  laid  by  the  28th  Division 
but  these  lines  were  in  such  bad  condition  that  we  had  to  lay 
new  lines  practically  the  entire  route. 

Captain  Busch  had  established  an  axis  up  the  Chatel-Chehery- 
Cornay  Road  from  Chatel-Chehery  to  Cornay  of  four  trunk  lines 
with  a  relay  board  at  Cornay.  The  163rd  Brigade  moved  into 
Cornay  and  took  over  this  board.  Two  lines  had  previously  been 
laid  from  Pylone  to  Cornay  by  the  163rd  Brigade  Signal  detail. 
These  lines  were  now"  used  for  lateral  communication  with  the 
77th  Division.  Our  axis  lines  from  Chatel-Chehery  to  Cornay 
were  later  turned  over  to  the  78th  Division  and  our  axis  re-run 
from  Pleincliamp  Farm,  when  our  Division  Headquarters  moved 
up  to  Fleville.  The  164th  Brigade  Headquarters  were  now 
loacted  at  Fleville.  Three  lines  were  carried  forward  from 
Cornay  to  Martincourt  Farm  by  Sergeant  First  Class  Isaac  M. 
Lowry,  of  Captain  Busch's  detail,  to  be  used  later  for  the  divi- 
sion axis.  This  was  accomplished  uader  a  heavy  bombardment 
from  German  artillery  and  machine-gun  fire.     Three  lines  were 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  287 

also  laid  from  Cornay  to  Fleville  to  meet  the  new  division  axis 
there.  About  October  14  the  163rd  Brigade  Headquarters  were 
also  moved  to  Fleville,  the  TSth  Division  taking  over  Ck)rnay. 
One  of  the  Fleville-Cornay  circuits  vras  used  as  Brigade  lateral 
between  Fleville  and  the  right  brigade  of  the  TSth ;  another  was 
taken  over  by  the  319th  Field  Artillery  of  our  Division,  at 
Cornay,  to  connect  with  the  320th  Field  Artillery  at  Fleville, 
and  the  third  was  used  for  an  82nd  Division  O.  P.  located  near 
Martincourt  Farm.  From  Cornay  forward  we  used  one  of  the 
axis  lines  laid  by  Sergeant  Lowry. 

327th  and  328th  Regimental  Headquarters  were  now  located 
at  Soramerance,  about  three  kilometers  northeast  of  Fleville; 
the  325th  and  326th  along  the  Sommerance-St.  Juvin  Road. 
Operations  had  settled  down  to  more  or  less  of  a  waiting  game. 
A  joint  switchboard  for  the  163rd  and  164th  Brigades  was  estab- 
lished at  Fleville  with  a  network  of  circuits  to  Sommerance, 
the  325th  and  326th  P.C.'s.  Relay  stations  were  established  at 
several  places  along  these  circuits.  Lateral  lines  were  laid 
between  all  regiments  and  even  between  relay  stations.  In  this 
manner  we  established  a  net  whereby  we  were  able  to  have 
communication  forward  with  practically  no  interruption.  If  one 
side  was  shot  out,  we  could  get  through  around  the  other  side 
or  through  the  middle,  and  vice  versa. 

General  Cronin,  commanding  the  163rd  Brigade,  established 
an  advance  P.O.  at  the  325th  Regimental  P.C.  and  General  Lind- 
sey,  of  the  164th  Brigade,  established  his  at  Sommerance.  These 
two  P.C.'s  were  connected  with  the  regimental  switchboards. 
Although  we  had  now  settled  down  to  stationary  fighting,  our 
troubles  had  not  ceased  by  any  means.  In  fact  we  suffered 
more  casualties  in  this  sector  than  any  of  the  others.  The 
enemy  shelled  the  area  from  Fleville  forward  to  the  front  lines 
almost  incessantly.  Fleville  and  Sommerance  were  subjected  to 
extremely  heavy  shell  fire  and  gassing.  This  of  course  played 
havoc  with  our  lines  and  kept  our  men  out  pretty  much  all 
of  the  time.  The  details  were  so  arranged  that  when  a  wire 
was  shot  out,  a  detail  would  start  from  each  end,  clearing  trouble 
until  they  met  or  until  the  circuit  cleared. 

The  advanced  signal  working  parties  were  supplied  with  w^ire 
and  equipment  from  advance  signal  dumps,  established  generally 
near  Brigade  Headquarters.  The  wire  and  material  usually  had 
to  be  carried  from  brigade  by  hand. 

Two  men  of  the  307th  Field  Signal  Battalion  have  received 
Distinguished    Service   Crosses,   three   others   recommended   and 


288  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

approved;  nineteen  have  received  Division  citations  and  four- 
teen Regimental  citations.  General  Cronin,  in  a  letter  to  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  battalion,  highly  commended  the  work 
of  the  Signal  detail  attached  to  his  Brigade  in  command  of 
myself.  Captain  Shriver  was  likewise  highly  commended  by 
General  Lindsey  of  the  164th  Brigade  and  our  regimental  Signal 
officers  commended  by  their  respective  regimental  commanders 
for  our  work  during  the  operations  of  the  Division  at  the  front. 

The  real  credit,  however,  for  the  success  of  the  battalion  in 
maintaining  lines  of  information  is  due  the  enlisted  men  of 
the  organization.  Our  non-commissioned  officers  were  excellent; 
the  morale  and  spirit  of  the  men  admirable.  The  uppermost 
thought  in  their  minds  at  all  times  was  the  success  of  the 
Division  and  the  Signal  Battalion. 

I  also  wish  to  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my  admira- 
tion of  the  excellent  w^ork  done  by  the  Signal  details  of  our 
artillery.  Their  men  were  equally  courageous  and  were  always 
to  be  found  out  on  their  lines  repairing  breaks,  the  same  as 
ours.  They  kept  up  their  telephone  lines  and  nets  in  excellent 
shape  and  never  overlooked  an  opportunity  to  assist  our  men  in 
every  way  possible.  We  tried  to  reciprocate  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, but  could  not  do  as  much  as  we  would  have  liked  owing 
to   our  heavy   casualties. 

During  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  we  used  the  radio  very 
little;  seldom  used  the  T.  P.  S.,  and  never  used  optics.  We 
made  some  use  of  our  pigeons  on  several  occasions. 

It  was  almost  impossible  to  establish  radio  stations  at  Regi- 
mental P.C.'s  and  where  they  were  established  the  infantry 
officers  did  not  use  them,  as  all  messages  had  to  be  enciphered  and 
deciphered,  which  took  up  so  much  time  as  to  render  the  mes- 
sages practically  of  no  value — and  then,  too,  the  telephone  was 
generally  available.  The  radio  details  were  always  on  hand, 
how^ever,  ready  for  use  in  an  emergency. 

Soil  conditions  did  not  favor  the  use  of  the  T.  P.  S.  This 
means  of  signaling  is  fairly  good  in  trench  warfare,  but  of 
not  much  value  in  open  warfare.  Optics  are  out  of  the  question 
in  open  warfare.  Furthermore,  infantry  commanders  as  a  rule 
will  not  allow  them  to  be  set  up  near  their  P.C.'s,  as  they 
Invariably  draw  fire. 

The  telephone  was  our  most  useful  means  of  communication 
and  we  lent  all  of  our  energies  toward  its  maintenance.  Our 
success  in  doing  this  will  readily  be  attested  to  by  all  line 
officers  of  the  Division  who  had  occasion  to  use  the  telephone. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  289 

WE    WENT    INTO    THE    FIGHT   DETERMINED    TO    KEEP 
UP   COMMUNICATIONS   AND   WE  DID   IT. 


VIII 

COMPLIMENT^ARY  LETTERS,  ETC. 

AMERICAN  EXPEDITIONARY  FORCES 

OFFICE  OP  THE  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 

France,  February  19,  1919. 

Major  General  George  B.  Duncan, 

Commanding   82ncl   Division.  A.E.F. 

My  Dear  General  Duncan: 

It  gives  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  extend  to  you  and 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  82nd  Division  my  compliments  upon 
their  excellent  appearance  at  the  inspection  and  review  on  Feb- 
ruary 11  near  Prauthoy.  It  was  gratifying  to  see  your  troops 
in  such  good  physical  shape,  but  still  more  so  to  knovi^  that  the 
moral  tone  of  all  ranks  is  so  high.  It  is  hoped  that  this  will 
continue  even  after  their  return  to  civil  life. 

Your  Division  is  to  be  congratulated  on  its  record  in  France. 
At  the  end  of  June  it  was  placed  in  a  quiet  sector  of  the  French 
line  to  release  veteran  divisions  for  the  battle.  From  the  12th 
to  16th  of  September  it  took  part  in  the  first  American  offensive 
at  St.  Mihiel,  attacking  and  occupying  Norroy  and  the  heights 
north  and  west  of  Vandieres.  In  this  operation  it  advanced  5 
kilometers.  In  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  the  Division  at- 
tacked on  October  7th  and  was  engaged  almost  continuously  for 
twenty-five  days.  Attacking  across  the  river  Aire  it  assisted 
the  28th  and  77th  Divisions  in  advance,  and  on  October  9,  cap- 
tured Cornay.  On  October  10,  the  town  of  Marcq  and  on  October 
16,  the  strong  position  of  Hill  182  and  the  town  of  St.  Juvin 
were  also  captured,  making  a  total  advance  of  12  kilometers. 

The  officers  and  men  of  your  Division  may  proudly  carry  home 
with  them  the  gratitude  of  the  Allies  with  whom  they  fought 
and  the  pride  of  their  fellows  throughout  our  forces. 

Sincerely  yours, 

John  J.  Peeshing. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  ARMY  CORPS 

AMERICAN  EXPEDITIONARY  FORCES 
FRANCE 

2  February,  1919. 
From:      Major    General   C.    P.    Summerall,    Commanding   Fifth 

Army  Corps,  American  E.  F. 
To:  Commanding  General,  82nd  Division. 

Subject:  Horse  Show  and  Review. 

1.  It  IS  with  sentiments  of  pride  and  pleasure  that  I  com- 
municate to  you  my  commendation  of  the  excellent  exhibition 
of  horses  and  transportation  that  it  was  my  privilege  to  witness 


290  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

at  the  82nd  Division  Horse  Show  on  February  1.  Not  only 
were  the  animals  and  transportation  of  a  very  high  order,  but 
they  gave  evidences  of  such  thoroughness  and  care  in  prepara- 
tion, such  extraordinary  ability  and  attention  to  detail  on  the 
part  of  officers  and  enlisted  men,  and  such  devotion,  zeal  and 
pride  in  the  Division  as  to  evidence  a  high  standard  of  morale 
rarely  experienced  during  my  service.  I  desire  to  congratulate 
you  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Division  upon  the  attain- 
ment of  standards  worthy  of  emulation  and  imitation.  Such 
troops  reflect  credit  upon  the  American  army  and  the  American 
people,  and  they  may  be  relied  upon  to  acquit  themselves  with 
h»nor  in  peace  as  to  attain  their  objectives  in  war. 

2.  I  desire  further  to  express  my  deep  appreciation  of  the 
honor  accorded  me  by  the  review  of  the  mounted  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  Division.  The  presence  of  the  colors  and  standards 
representing  all  elements  of  the  Division,  and  of  the  massed 
band,  which  was  so  ably  conducted,  was  an  inspiring  sight  that 
I  shall  never  forget.  It  is  an  honor  to  connnand  such  troops, 
and  it  is  with  emotions  of  deep  regret  that  I  contemplate  their 
separation  from  the  Fifth  Corps. 

C.    P.    SUMMEEALL. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  ARMY  CORPS 

AMERICAN   EXPEDITIONARY   FORCES 
FRANCE 

15  February,  1919. 
From:      Major   General    C.    P.    Summerall,    Commanding    Fifth 

Army  Corps,  American  E.  F. 
To:  Commanding  General,  82nd  Division,  American  E.  F. 

Subject :  Appreciation  of  Services. 

1.  In  accordance  with  orders  from  Headquarters,  American 
Expeditionary  Forces,  the  82nd  Division  is  relieved  from  the 
Fifth  Corps. 

2.  The  Division  was  assigned  to  the  Corps  on  November  24, 
1918,  and  since  that  date  it  has  been  constantly  occupied  with 
intensive  training.  While  the  work  has  been  arduous  and  at 
times  involved  much  discomfort  in  severe  cold  and  inclement 
Vk'eather,  the  response  has  invariably  been  cheerful,  zealous  and 
effective.  The  progress  of  the  Division  has  been  such  as  to 
evince  a  superior  state  of  discipline  and  morale.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  its  service  in  the  Corps  it  is  worthy  of  classification 
as  an  assault  division.  The  functioning  of  the  Staff  and  of 
the  elements  of  command  guarantee  success  in  the  employment 
of  the  troops. 

3.  The  Corps  Commander  takes  this  opportunity  to  convey  to 
the  Division  Commander,  Major  General  George  B.  Duncan,  his 
deep  appreciation  of  the  loyalty,  cheerful  co-operation  and 
marked  leadership  that  he  has  rendered  so  abundantly,  and  to 
convey  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Division  his  high  com- 
mendation and  admiration  for  the  manner  in  which  they  have 
conducted  themselves  while  in  the  Fifth  Corps.  It  has  been 
an   honor  to   command   such   troops   and   in   the   training   area, 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  291 

as  well  as  in  the  stress  of  battle,  they  have  shown  themselves 
worthy  of  the  trust  reposed  in  them  by  their  country. 

C.   P.    SUMMEEALL. 

HEADQUARTERS  FIFTH  ARMY  CORPS 

AMERICAN   EXPEDITIONARY  FORCES 
FRANCE 

9  February,  1919. 
From :      Commanding  General,  Fifth  Army  Corps,  American  E.  F. 
To:  Commanding   General,   82nd   Division,   American   E.   F. 

Subject:  Corps  Horse  Show. 

1.  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  express  to  you  my  appreciation 
of  the  excellent  exhibits  made  by  the  officers  and  soldiers  of 
the  82nd  Division  at  the  Horse  Show  of  the  Fifth  Army  Corps 
on  February  8.  The  horses,  equipment  and  carriages  gave 
evidences  of  the  great  amount  of  labor  and  attention  to  detail 
that  has  been  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  all  entries.  Not 
only  the  exhibits  which  secured  prizes,  but  the  entire  representa- 
tion of  the  Division,  Was  such  as  to  reflect  credit  upon  the 
entire  connnand.  Such  results  could  only  have  been  accomplished 
by  a  prevailing  spirit  of  soldierly  prid(?,  marked  industry  and 
an  intelligent  understanding  of  the  standards  to  which  military 
transportation  should  conform.  The  results  of  the  exhibit  can- 
not fail  to  be  far-reaching  in  enhancing  the  reputation  of  the 
Division  and  in  stimulating  the  liveliest  interest  in  maintaining 
the  entire  transportation  of  the  Division  in  accordance  with  the 
ideas  that  were  manifested  at  the  show. 

2.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  exhibit  was  held  in  mid- 
winter, v/ith  deep  snow  and  during  intense  cold,  the  entire 
personnel  representing  the  Division  showed  a  keenness  and  a 
disregard  of  the  inevitable  discomforts  that  is  worthy  of  the 
highest  praise  and  that  constitutes  a  further  proof  of  the  high 
standards  of  morale  and  fortitude  which  have  distinguished  the 
Division  throughout  its  service. 

3.  I  especially  wish  to  congratulate  the  Division  upon  "Winning 
the  Divisional  Trophy.  Its  success  is  the  more  conspicuous 
because  of  the  high  order  of  entries  made  by  competitors. 

4.  I  wish  further  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  active 
co-operation  of  the  Division  Commander  and  of  his  Staff,  to 
whom  in  the  greatest  measure  is  due  the  hearty  and  active 
response  of  the  Division. 

C.    P.     SUMMEEALL, 

Major  General. 

HEADQUARTERS   FIRST  ARMY 
AMERICAN   EXPEDITIONARY   FORCES,    FRANCE 
CORRECTED   COPY 
GENERAL    ORDERS 

8  February,  1919. 
Pursuant   to   telegraphic    instructions    from    G.H.Q.,    the   82nd 
Division,    upon    the    establishment    of    its    headquarters    in    the 
Lt^^.Ians  area,  is  relieved  from  duty  with  this  Army. 


292  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

Beginning  August  15,  1918,  the  82nd  Division  relieved  tlie 
2nd  Division  in  the  MARBACHE  Sector  astride  the  Moselle 
River.  While  occupying  tliis  sector  as  a  part  of  the  1st  Army 
Corps,  A.E.F.,  the  Division  was  transferred  from  the  command 
of  the  VIII  French  Army  to  that  of  the  First  Army,  A.E.F.,  at 
4.00  P.M.  of  August  30,  1918. 

The  82nd  Division  participated  in  the  following  operations  of 
the   First  Army: 

St.  Mihiel  OpepvATion 

The  Division  held  the  right  of  the  line  from  PORT-SUR- 
SEILLE  to  the  Moselle  River  and  attacked  west  of  that  river 
in  conjunction  with  the  90th  Division.  The  Division  captured 
and  occupied  NORROY  and  the  ridge  north  and  west  of 
VANDIERES. 

Mexjse- Argon  NE  OpepvAtion 

The  Division  was  in  Army  and  Corps  Reserve  from  September 
26th  to  October  6th.  On  the  night  of  October  6-7,  the  Division, 
less  one  Infantry  Brigade,  entered  the  line  on  the  1st  Corps 
front  between  the  1st  and  2Sth  Divisions  along  the  Aire  River 
facing  CORNAY.  Early  October  7th  the  division  attacked  the 
northeast  flank  of  the  ARGONNE  capturing  Hills  180  and  223, 
and  subsequently  the  high  ground  to  the  west,  thus  materially 
assisting  in  the  clearing  of  the  Argoime. 

During  the  period  October  10th  to  31st,  the  Division  changed 
direction  to  the  north,  advanced  astride  of  the  Aire  River  to 
the  general  line  east  of  St.  JUVIN,  participated  in  the  general 
attack  of  October  14th  and  several  local  attacks  against  CHAM- 
PIGNEULLES  and  the  hostile  defences  east  of  that  tov/n.  The 
Division  was  relieved  from  the  front  line  and  passed  into  1st 
Corps  Reserve  October  31st. 

The  Army  Commander  takes  this  occasion  to  express  his 
appreciation  of  the  services  of  the  82nd  Division  while  a  part 
of  the  combat  forces  of  this  Army,  and  wishes  it  God  Speed 
upon  the  final  phase  of  its  participation  in  the  activities  of  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces. 

By  Command  of  Lieutenant  General  Liggett: 

H.  A.  Drum, 
Chief  of  Staff. 

Headquarters,  First  Army  Corps, 
Sept.  12,  1918. 
Commanding  General, 

82nd  Division,  A.E.F. 

Please  convey  to  the  officers  and  men  of  your  Division  my 
appreciation  of  the  difficult  part  they  had  to  perform  in  the 
highly  successful  operation  of  the  First  Corps  to-day.  This  part 
they  performed   to   my   full   satisfaction. 

H.   Liggett. 

Received   at  Hq.   1st  Army   Corps,    September   15,   1918. 


OFFICIAL  HISTOPwY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  293 

HEADQUARTERS  FIRST  ARMY  CORPS 

11  November,  1918. 

GENERAL  ORDERS 
No.    17 

1.  During  this  pause  in  the  operations  of  these  headquarters, 
the  Corps  Commander  desires  that  the  units  which  have  con- 
tributed to  the  constant  success  of  tlie  1st  U.  S.  Corps  be  in- 
formed of  liis  full  appreciation  of  the  services  eacli  has  rendered 
to  the  common  end. 

This  appreciation  must  be  extended  to  every  element  of  Corps 
and  Divisional  units  for  it  goes  without  saying  that  the  work 
of  each  man,  no  matter  what  his  station,  has  contributed  power- 
fully to  the  accomplishment  of  the  common  aim — the  defeat  of 
the  enemy. 

It  is  the  desire  of  the  Corps  Commander  that  his  sincerest 
thanks,  best  wishes  and  assurances  of  his  appreciation  reach 
every  member  of  the  units  which  have  contributed  to  the  steady 
and  unfailing  success  of  the  Corps. 

By  Command  of  Major  General  Dickman: 

Malin  Craig, 
Chief  of  Staff, 

OFFICIAL ; 
W.   A.   HAVERFIELD, 
Lieut.  Col,  A.G.D,, 
Adjutant. 

32nd  army  corps, 

General  Staff, 

3rd  Bureau, 
No.  3965/3. 

Hq.  Aug.  4,  1918. 

GENERAL  ORDER  No.  138 

The  Commanding  General  of  the  32nd  Army  Corps  is  glad 
to  congratulate  the  companies  of  the  326th  Infantry,  commanded 
by  Major  Watkins,  which  took  part  in  the  raid  of  August  4. 

These  companies  displayed  a  vigor  worthy  of  American  troops. 
They  attained  all  their  objectives  and  brought  back  material  and 
valuable  documents. 

This  first  attack  of  the  82nd  Division  shows  what  may  be 
expected  in  the  future,  of  this  splendid  Division. 

General  Passaga, 
Commanding  the  32nd  Army  Corps. 
Signed:  Passaga. 
OFFICIAL : 
The  Chief  of  Staff. 


294  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

IX 

STATEMENT  OF  THE  MILITARY   SERVICE  OF 
WILLIAM  P.  BURNHAM 

Born  in  Pennsylvania 10  Jan.,  1860 

Cadet  M.  A 1  July,  '77 

to 30  June,  '80 

Pvt.,  Corpl.  and  Sgt.,  gen,  ser.  and  Co.  E, 

14tli  Inf 26  Apr.  '81 

to 5  July,  '83 

2d  Lt.,  6th  Inf 3  July,  '83 

Accepted   6  July,  '83 

1st  Lt.,  lltli  Inf 25  Feb.,  '91 

Trs.  to  6tli  Inf 20  July,  '91 

Trs.  to  20tli  Inf 22  July,  '95 

Lt.  Col.,  4tli  Mo.  Inf 16  May,  '98 

Hon.  Must.  Out 10  Feb.,  '99 

Capt.  of  Inf 4  Aug.,  '98 

Assd.  to  5th  Inf 1  Jan.,  '99 

Trs.  to  20th  Inf 8  Apr.,  '01 

Trs.  to  9th  Inf 2  Aug.,  '06 

Maj.,  20th  Inf 20  Aug.,  '03 

Trs.  to  7th  Inf 31  May,  '07 

Trs.  to  20th  Inf 29  Dec,  '10 

Unassigned    11  Mar.,  '11 

Assd.  to  20th  Inf 14  Apr.,  '11 

Lt.  Col.  of  Inf 2  Mar.,  '12 

Assd.  to  10th  Inf 8  July,  '14 

Unassigned    5  Aug.,  '14 

Lt.  Col.,  Porto  Rican  Rgt 1  Oct.,  '14 

Col.  Inf 1  May,  '16 

Brig.  Gen.,  N.  A 5  Aug.,  '17 

Maj.  Gen.,  N.  A 12  Apr.,  '18 

Discharged  as  Maj.  Gen 2  July,  '19 

Joined  his  regiment  at  Fort  Douglas,  Utah,  August,  1883,  to 
August,  1887;  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  September,  1887  to  July, 
1889;  Fort  Lewis,  Col.,  August,  1889,  to  September,  1889;  Fort 
Riley,  Kan.,  October,  1889,  to  August,  1890;  Fort  Porter,  N.  Y., 
September,  1890,  to  (sick  March  3  to  March  13,  1891)  August, 
1891 ;  St.  John's  Military  School,  Manlius,  N.  Y.,  September,  1891, 
to  August,  1895;  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  September,  1895,  to 
March,  1898 :  Mobile,  Ala.,  April,  1898,  to  May,  1898 ;  Camp  Alger, 
Va.,  June,  1898,  as  Lt.  Col.  4th  Missouri  Infantry;  mustered  owt 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION  295 

February  10,  1899;  Augusta,  Ga.,  February,  1899,  to  April,  1899; 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  May,  1899,  to  September,  1899;  eu  route  to  and 
at  Moro  Castle,  Santiago,  Cuba,  October,  1899,  to  June,  1900; 
en  route  to  and  at  Fort  Sheridan,  III.,  July,  1900,  to  August, 
1900;  en  route  to  and  at  Cabayao,  P.  I.,  August  9,  1900,  to  Jan- 
uary, 1901 ;  Vigan,  P.  I.,  January,  1901,  to  April,  1901 ;  Santiago, 
P.  I.,  April,  1901,  to  May,  1901 ;  Vigan,  P.  I.,  June,  1901,  to  Sep- 
tember, 1901;  Tanauan,  P.  I.,  October,  1901,  to  January,  1902; 
en  route  to  and  at  Fort  Sheridan,  111.,  February,  1902,  to  October, 
1903;  Rialto  Building,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  November,  1903,  to 
October,  1905 ;  Headquarters  Department  of  California,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  November,  1905,  to  March,  1906 ;  Presidio  of  Monterey, 
Cal.,  April,  1906,  to  March,  1907;  Headquarters  Southwestern 
Department,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April,  1907,  to  June,  1907;  Head- 
quarters of  the  Columbia  Vancouver  Barracks,  Wash.,  July,  1907, 
to  August,  1909;  Headquarters,  Department  of  Missouri,  Omaha, 
Neb.,  September,  1909,  to  February,  1911 ;  en  route  to  and  at  Fort 
Shafter,  Hawaii,  March,  1911,  to  September,  1911;  en  route  to 
and  at  Fort  Douglas,  Utah,  October,  1911,  to  (sick  November  3 
to  November  4,  1911)  August,  1912;  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan., 
September,  1912,  to  August,  1914;  en  route  to  and  at  San  Juan, 
Porto  Rico,  September  26,  1914,  to  May,  1917;  en  route  to  and 
commanding  Camp  E.  S.  Otis,  C.  Z.,  May  19,  1917,  to  July  6, 
1917;  en  route  to  Fort  Oglethorpe,  Ga.,  to  July  19,  1917;  com- 
manding 56th  Infantry  at  that  post  to  August  24,  1917;  com- 
manding 164th  Infantry  Brigade  at  Camp  Gordon,  Ga.,  August 
25,  1917,  to  April,  1918 ;  in  addition  commanding  the  82d  Division 
from  September  2  to  November  11,  1917,  and  December  27,  1917, 
to  September,  1918;  assigned  to  command  of  the  82d  Division 
in  April,  1918,  and  commanded  same  to  September,  1918  in 
France;  on  duty  at  Athens,  Greece,  to  June,  1919;  en  route  to 
United  States  to  July  2,  1919;  on  duty  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
July,  1919;  en  route  to  and  on  duty  at  Fort  McDowell,  Ga.,  to 
date. 

X 

CRITIQUE  ON  THE  FIGHTING  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE 
82nd  division 

BY 

Colonel  Gordon  Johnston 

Chief  of  Staff,  82nd  Division,  during  Meuse-Argonne  Offensive. 

Just  before  the  1st  Division  jumped  off  from  the  line  in  which 
it  had  relieved  the  35th  Division  I  went  up  to  have  a  look  at 


296  OFFICIAL  IHSTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

them.  I  went  to  the  P.  C.  of  the  1st  Brigade,  near  Baulny, 
thence  to  the  support  battalion,  and  then  on  to  overlook  the  front 
line,  and  particularly  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Aire.  I  was 
very  much  impressed  with  the  formidable  appearance  of  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  Argonne  forest.  The  command  of  that 
position  over  the  sector  in  which  the  1st  Brigade  was  to  attack 
struck  me  very  forcibly  and  raised  a  serious  doubt  in  my  mind 
as  to  the  success  of  the  advance.  Being  unofficially  in  this  area, 
I  did  not  feel  inclined  to  obtrude  my  views,  but  did  make  inquiry 
as  to  the  means  for  dealing  with  this  menacing  position.  I  was 
assured  that  it  was  to  be  smeared  with  artillery  fire  and  felt 
confident  that  if  any  one  would  do  such  a  job  thoroughly  it  would 
be  General  Summerall.  Meantime  I  had  been  put  on  duty  at 
the  1st  Corps  and  being  occupied  elsewhere  could  not  go  with 
the  1st  Division  in  their  attack.  They  made  a  splendid  plunge 
and  then  were  under  such  punishment  from  this  very  ground 
(northeast  corner  of  the  Argonne)  that  the  hope  of  reaching  the 
German  line  in  their  sector  had  to  be  abandoned. 

It  came  to  my  attention  on  the  6th  of  October  that  the  82nd 
Division  was  designated  for  a  flank  attack  across  the  Aire  to 
capture  this  high  ground.  I  was  extremely  interested  in  this 
plan  and  obtained  authority  to  make  another  reconnaissance.  I 
went  along  the  left  flank  of  the  1st  Brigade  to  a  point  about 
abreast  of  Cornay.  The  extremely  hazardous  nature  of  this 
attack  was  most  evident.  I  asked  the  battalion  commanders  if 
they  knew  anything  about  new  troops  coming  in  on  their  left 
and  they  did  not.  I  then  searched  for  General  Parker  and  found 
him  at  the  Division  P.  C.  near  Very.  He  likewise  knew  nothing 
of  the  attack,  and  we  both  went  in  to  see  General  Summerall. 
Ke  was  not  aware  of  the  plan.  We  looked  up  the  location  of 
the  82nd  Division  on  the  map  and  after  a  bit  of  calculation,  none 
of  us  could  see  how  the  maneuver  was  to  be  executed.  We  were 
all  under  the  impression  that  the  assault  troops  of  the  82nd 
would  maneuver  in  the  area  of  the  1st  Brigade  and  that  troops 
would  be  formed  facing  their  objectives  with  the  necessary 
echelons  in  depth.  Neither  of  the  generals  had  been  asked  for 
guides  nor  had  anyone  consulted  them.  General  Parker  said, 
"The  1st  Brigade  couldn't  do  that  in  one  night  and  that  means 
no  other  Brigade  in  the  Army  could  do  it."  General  Summerall 
said,  "The  1st  Division  couldn't  do  that  and  I  wouldn't  ask  them 
to."  General  Summerall  then  called  up  the  Corps,  but  whatever 
the  answer  was,  the  conversation  didn't  last  long.  I  then  took 
it  on  myself  to  call  up  the  P.  C.  of  the  82nd  Division.     Colonel 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  297 

Sheldon  answered.  I  asked  if  arrangements  for  guides  had  been 
made  with  the  1st  Division.  He  replied  that  he  did  not  know, 
but  that  General  Llndsey  was  at  the  Division  P.  C.  It  was  then 
about  3  or  4  p.m.  I  talked  with  General  Lindsey  and  urged  him 
to  com.e  over  to  the  1st  Division  P.  C.  and  discuss  matters  with 
General  Parker  and  General  Summerall.  General  Lindsey  came 
over  and  explained  the  plan  of  marching  north  of  the  roads  and 
then  moving  by  the  flank  to  attack.  When  he  had  gone  we  were 
all  rather  depressed.  It  seemed  that  to  commit  a  large  body  of 
troops  to  an  assault  without  thorough  orientation,  careful  placing 
of  troops  in  position  for  attack  and  a  thorough  co-ordination  with 
artillery  presented  very  grave  difficulties.  General  Summerall 
said  that  his  Division  was  being  destroyed  and  that  he  had 
begged  for  fresh  troops  to  make  this  attack.  He  felt  that  no 
further  progress  could  be  made  until  this  high  ground  west  of 
the  Aire  was  taken. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  only  a  part  of  the  82nd  Division  artillery 
got  into  position  in  time  to  lend  any  assistance.  Little  help,  if 
any,  was  given  by  the  6th  Field  Artillery  of  the  1st  Division. 
There  was  no  machine  gun  support  on  a  general  scale.  The 
guides  did  not  function  properly  and  half  of  the  attacking  troops 
were  lost  at  H  hour.  All  of  which  increases  the  honor  due  to 
the  Infantry  units  which  delivered  the  assault  and  accomplished 
their  desperate  mission  October  7th. 

Great  credit  is  due  to  the  swift  and  forceful  drive  which 
General  Duncan  put  into  the  execution  of  his  task,  and  the  cheer- 
ful, buoyant  spirit  of  General  Lindsey.  His  confidence  of  success 
and  keenness  for  the  job,  which  never  abated  during  the  horrors 
of  that  forced  march  on  that  miserable  night  of  rain  and  mud 
on  roads  already  congested  to  the  limit,  contributed  most  mate- 
rially to  the  success  of  the  Brigade. 

Again  Fate  was  with  us  in  the  thick  fog  which  covered  the 
Aire  valley  that  morning.  Soon  after  the  jum.p  off,  the  Boche 
knew  something  was  doing  but  not  the  direction  of  the  attack. 
I  saw  his  interdiction  fire,  shells  falling  at  crossroads  and 
searching  the  ravines  east  of  the  main  road.  As  the  fog  lifted 
a  little  on  the  high  ground,  I  was  amused  to  see  him  firing 
furiously  at  half  a  dozen  old  abandoned  tanks  of  ours.  The  fire 
was  very  accurate  and  several  direct  hits  were  obtained.  Indeed 
so  accurate  was  his  fire  that  I  felt  quite  safe  within  200  yards 
of  a  tank  at  which  he  was  firing. 

I  could  only  follow  the  fight  by  the  musketry  fire,  but  soon  felt 
that  the  attack  was  well  under  way  and  realized  that  a  push 


298  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

from  the  south  against  the  Boche  might  be  very  useful.  So  I 
hustled  back  to  Corps  Headquarters  as  fast  as  possible,  reported 
that  the  attack  was  well  under  way,  and  that  troops  were  across 
the  river  and  fighting  on  high  ground  to  the  west.  I  asked  per- 
mission to  go  over  and  stir  up  the  77th  Division.  General  Craig 
said  that  he  would  start  Conger's  Brigade  of  the  28th  Division. 
He  had  word  just  before  I  left  that  this  Brigade  was  making 
headway  along  the  La  Viergette-Marc  wood.  At  about  2  p.m. 
I  reached  the  P.  C.  of  77th  Division  and  told  General  Alexander 
(the  Lord  forgive  me)  that  the  82nd  was  cutting  right  through 
to  the  Decauville  road  and  driving  the  Boche  back  and  that  the 
28th  were  pushing  north  on  the  road  through  La  Viergette,  and 
that  now  was  the  time  for  the  77th  to  break  through  also.  He 
sent  me  on  to  General  Wittenmeyer,  who  commanded  the  right 
Brigade.  I  caught  General  Wittenmeyer  on  the  way  to  his  front 
lines  and  gave  him  the  same  rosy  report.  He  was  ready  to  fight 
right  away  and  asked  if  he  could  use  the  wood  through  La 
Viergette  (which  was  out  of  his  sector)  to  flank  the  Boche  line. 
I  assumed  the  responsibility  for  giving  this  authority  with  right 
of  way  reserved  to  28th.  This  was  reported  to  1st  Corps  and 
confirmed  later  in  the  same  day.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  these  efforts  distracted  some  attention  of  the  Boche  from 
Lindsey's  Brigade. 

The  outstanding  lesson  of  this  attack  seems  to  me  to  be  that 
with  a  worthwhile  objective,  a  desperate  and  chance  attack,  if 
driven  with  great  energy  and  unswerving  determination,  promises 
success  in  spite  of  the  crudity  in  details.  The  failure  to  make 
fool  proof  arrangements  regarding  guides  came  very  near  causing 
disaster.  Lack  of  traffic  control  and  the  fact  that  troops  going 
into  this  action  had  no  "right  of  way"  was  another  near  cause 
of  failure. 

Full  recognition  of  this  attack  seems  to  be  very  slow  in  coming 
from  higher  Headquarters.  I  often  wondered  about  this  and 
once  asked  General  Drum  directly  why  it  was.  He  said,  "We 
could  never  understand  why  you  kept  milling  around  in  Cornay. 
Why  didn't  you  envelop  it  from  the  north?"  I  was  astonished 
at  this  and  asked  if  he  realized  that  to  do  this  we  v/ould  have 
been  forced  to  go  a  good  bit  further  than  the  1st  Division  had 
been  able  to  go  and  that  troops  executing  this  movement  would 
have  been  compelled  to  progress  fighting  in  three  directions  at 
the  same  time.  Cornay  was  merely  in  the  way  to  our  objective, 
the  high  ground  beyond,  and  had  to  be  taken. 

I  have  talked  with  a  number  of  oflacers  who  have  made  studies 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  S2nd  DIVISION  299 

on  the  ground  later  and  the  importance  of  this  attack  is  steadily- 
gaining  ground  in  the  minds  of  all  of  them. 

The  82nd  Division  made  some  very  material  contributions  to 
the  science  of  war.  The  ideas  may  not  have  been  original,  but 
their  application  was.  At  least,  the  fact  that  our  lead  in  these 
matters  was  promptly  followed  by  others  and  adopted  by  higher 
formations  is  a  great  compliment.  The  Commander  in  Chief 
called  at  our  P.  C.  about  the  middle  of  October  and  his  remarks 
to  General  Duncan  impressed  themselves  on  my  mind  so  vividly 
that  I  feel  at  liberty  to  cite  them  as  a  quotation.  He  said,  "Gen- 
eral, there  is  no  relief  in  sight  for  your  Division.  I  know  that 
the  men  are  very  much  exhausted  and  the  organization  reduced 
in  strength,  but  you  must  not  only  hold  on  but  continue  to  push 
on.  You  must  remember  that  war  is  waged  with  weary  men 
and  that  battles  are  fought  by  tired  and  hungry  soldiers.  It  is 
the  same  on  both  sides.  It  is  the  normal,  not  the  abnormal, 
condition  of  active  operations.  You  must  nurse  your  men  all 
that  you  can,  but  not  hesitate  to  demand  sacrifices  when  the  time 
for  that  comes. 

"I  want  to  impress  on  you  the  importance  of  the  leaders  of 
smaller  units.  They  must  love  initiative  and  must  hold  what 
ground  they  gain  to  the  utmost.  It  often  happens  that  a  Ser- 
geant or  even  a  Corporal  may  decide  a  battle  by  the  boldness 
with  which  he  seizes  a  bit  of  ground  and  holds  it.  Even  if  they 
cannot  hold  it,  if  they  fight  to  the  last  man ;  it  may  enable  other 
leaders  to  gain  valuable  ground. 

"You  must  impress  on  all  of  your  officers  the  desire  and 
determination  to  get  forward  without  waiting  for  some  one  else. 

"You  must  not  be  unduly  influenced  by  weariness  and  exhaus- 
tion of  your  men  and  must  impress  your  Commanders  with  that 
fact.  These  are  the  natural  conditions  of  war  and  cannot  be 
avoided." 

This  visit  led  to  a  conviction  that  it  was  vital  to  first  check 
up  carefully  our  resources  in  man  power;  second,  to  check  the 
loss  of  men  from  the  line;  third,  to  check  the  loss  of  physical 
vigor. 

The  effort  to  check  up  our  available  man  power  proved  to  be 
a  serious  problem.  The  morning  reports  did  not  convey  any- 
thing more  than  the  paper  strength.  In  the  sector  of  the  Division 
there  is  not  only  a  great  number  of  non-combatants  or  men 
engaged  on  non-combatant  duties,  but  there  is  also  a  large  float- 
ing population  for  various  reasons,  much  of  it  quite  necessary. 
The  final  solution  adopted  by  General  Duncan  was  to  count  only 


300  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

"fighting  effectives."  These  were  defined  as  soldiers  a«tually 
present  with  their  platoon  commanders  with  weapons  in  their 
hands  engaged  in  killing  the  enemy.  That  was  a  pretty  drastic 
cut,  but  after  ail  that  is  what  all  the  resources  of  a  Division 
should  be  devoted  to,  to  push  and  maintain  weapons  on  the  line. 
A-  form  was  issued  and  each  platoon  commander  required  to 
make  a  daily  battle  report  and  account  briefly  for  his  losses  or 
gains.  The  strength  of  all  the  fighting  platoons  in  a  Regiment 
was  the  "fighting  effective"  strength  of  that  Regim.ent.  The  con- 
solidation of  the  first  report  showed  results  which  gave  real 
concern.  However,  the  attention  of  every  officer  and  non-com- 
missioned officer  was  centered  on  this  one  subject  and  the 
"fighting  effective"  strength  of  all  organizations  showed  a  con- 
stant improvement.  When  this  had  gotten  well  under  way,  Gen- 
eral Dickman  called  at  the  P.  C.  one  day  and  asked  for  our 
strength  on  the  line.  I  asked  if  he  wanted  the  effective  strength 
and  on  his  reply  that  he  did,  gave  him  the  daily  report,  which 
showed  about  4000  men  (our  losses  then  were  about  7000).  He 
told  me  that  a  neighboring  Division  Commander  had  just  informed 
him  that  he  had  22,000  men  on  the  line  and  wanted  to  know 
where  the  rest  of  our  men  were. 

Later  Colonel  Marshall,  G-3,  1st  Army,  came  to  our  P.  C.  and 
said  he  had  heard  we  had  a  new  way  of  figuring  strength  and 
he  was  on  a  committee  to  draft  an  order  on  the  subject.  I  gave 
him  our  memorandum  and  forms.  Within  a  few  days  the  1st 
Army  issued  a  general  order  which  followed  very  closely  our 
memorandum. 

Then  came  the  drain  in  man  power.  It  was  found  that  the 
triage  system  was  responsible  for  many  unnecessary  losses. 
When  the  ambulances  came  back,  every  occupant  would  be  tagged 
and  passed  on  with  practically  no  plan  of  retention.  A  hospital 
was  immediately  set  up  at  Apremont,  messes  were  opened,  cots 
and  an  ample  supply  of  blankets  and  even  some  luxuries  pro- 
vided. At  the  triage  strict  orders  were  given  that  no  officer  or 
man  should  be  evacuated  who  could  possibly  be  returned  to  any 
duty  within  two  weeks.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the  re- 
tention of  300  beds  in  a  hospital  further  to  the  rear  with  the 
understanding  that  patients  v\^ould  be  returned  direct  to  our 
rest  camp  at  Apremont  for  return  to  any  useful  duty.  Prac- 
tically all  gas  and  neurosis  cases  were  stopped  here.  This 
checked  the  loss  in  man  power  to  a  minimum. 

Then  came  the  question  of  retention  of  physical  vigor.  At 
Apremont  and  in   connection  with  the  hospital  a   "rest  camp" 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  301 

was  established.  In  the  rest  camp  convalescents  were  cared  for 
and  all  patients  capable  of  light  duty  were  put  to  useful  work, 
particularly  in  the  care  of  arms  and  equipment  turned  over  to 
them  by  the  salvage  officer.  Neurosis  cases  got  no  coddling  and 
very  little  sympathy.  They  were  also  always  in  sound  of  the 
guns  and  got  a  bombing  every  now  and  then,  or  some  long  range 
shelling  to  cheer  them  up.    Their  recovery  was  unusually  rapid. 

As  soon  as  the  flow  back  to  the  front  line  began,  regimental 
surgeons  were  authorized  to  send  back  for  four  days'  rest,  officers 
and  men  who  were  most  exhausted.  These  men  slept  many 
hours  when  they  first  came  back.  From  time  to  time  a  bit  of 
soup  or  coffee  was  forced  into  their  mouths.  On  about  the  third 
day  they  were  put  to  light  wo^k  and  on  the  next  day  or  so  were 
ready  and  keen  for  the  front  line  again.  In  this  way  we  were 
building  up  continually  from  the  weakest.  This  with  greater 
attention  to  the  third  line  Battalions  tided  us  over  the  peak  of 
the  load  until  we  could  hold  our  own. 

General  McArthur  paid  us  a  visit  one  day  after  w^e  had  this 
plan  in  operation  and  was  so  impressed  that  he  carried  the  sys- 
tem out  in  the  42nd  Division  immediately.  I  have  heard  that  it 
was  recommended  to  and  adopted  by  a  number  of  other  Divisions. 

From  a  technical  point  of  view,  the  Division  was  groping 
its  way  toward  a  development  which  promised  to  receive  confir- 
mation in  the  use  of  machine  guns.  The  great  fire  power  of  the 
machine  guns  of  a  Division  had  never  been  fully  co-ordinated. 

While  stabilized  on  the  St.  Juvin-St.  Georges  front  with  a 
wedge  thrust  through  the  Kriemhilde-Stellung,  we  were  holding 
alone  four  kilos  front  with  about  3000  men.  The  men  were 
physically  weak  and  at  the  same  time  subject  to  counter  attack. 
We  were  still  trying  to  gain  a  bit  of  ground  here  and  there, 
but  the  dangers  of  an  attack  in  force  had  to  be  considered  and 
therefore  the  necessity  for  organizing  a  defense  of  artillery  and 
machine  gun  fire  to  cover  them  or  at  least  disorganize  the  enemy 
before  getting  to  us.  A  system  very  much  like,  that  of  the  Coast 
Artillery  was  adopted.  The  ground  in  front  was  divided  into 
numbered  squares  and  all  firing  data  prepared  so  that  on  the 
appearance  of  a  target  in  our  given  squares  all  artillery  guns 
and  all  m-achine  guns  (direct  or  indirect)  could  open  fire  imme- 
diately. Lines  of  information  reached  each  battery  (artillery 
or  machine  gun)  so  that  all  could  be  called  at  once.  The  effec- 
tiveness of  the  system  was  tested  when  a  strong  force  of  Boche 
formed  up  north  of  St.  Juvin  and  made  an  attack.  The  machine 
gun  barrage  fell  in  two  and  a  half  minutes  and  practically  every 


302  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

battery  of  artillery  was  firing  in  five  and  a  half  minutes.  The 
effect  was  terrific,  the  enemy  formation  was  smashed  to  bits 
instantly  and  broke  to  the  rear.  The  howitzer  regiment  very 
neatly  got  behind  them  with  phosgene  and  finished  the  job. 
Prisoners  taken  later  confirmed  the  damage  done. 

This  work  developed  a  very  close  relation  between  the  artillery 
and  the  machine  gunners,  each  gave  targets  to  the  other  and 
mutual  lines  of  information  were  laid  with  one  set  of  observers 
working  for  both  arms.  This  led  to  the  idea  of  co-ordinating 
the  work  in  an  offensive  action.  It  was  not  the  idea  to  take 
from  Brigade  Commanders  and  others  the  tactical  use  of  the 
machine  gun  units,  but  there  are  many  instances  in  which  the 
lower  formation  cannot  make  the  best  use  of  all  their  ground. 
In  an  action,  the  fullest  fire  power  of  the  Division  must  be 
developed  in  order  to  insure  the  progress  of  the  Infantry  at  the 
least  cost.  No  gun  can  afford  to  be  idle  so  long  as  the  Infantry 
is  being  punished.  Therefore,  all  machine  gun  and  artillery 
units  not  actually  required  and  until  required  should  be  brought 
to  bear  on  points  where  the  Infantry  might  be  assisted.  So  the 
Machine  Gun  Officer  and  the  Artillery  commander  hold  the  fire 
power  of  their  unengaged  units  at  the  direction  of  the  Division 
Commander. 

In  the  use  of  the  37  m/m  and  S'^  Stokes,  it  seems  that*  our 
sections  followed  the  "hit  and  run"  principle  more  than  anything 
else.  The  idea  was  to  locate  a  target,  go  into  action  and  fire  as 
rapidly  as  possible  for  several  minutes  then  "beat  it"  elsewhere 
before  the  Boche  got  on. 

XI 

82nd  Div.,  U.  S. 
6  October,  1918. 

21  Hrs.  30 
SECRET 
FIELD  ORDERS 

NO.  20. 
MAPS  :  Foret  D'Argonne  1/20,000. 
Verdun  1/80,000. 

1.  Informntfon  of  the  enemv  indicates  that  he  is  withdrawing 
to  the  KRIEJIHILDE  STELLUNG  from  the  AISNE  to  the 
MEUSE.  The  First  American  Army  and  the  Fourth  French  Army 
resume  their  attack  on  the  7th  instant.  The  38th  French  Corps 
attacks  the  FORET  D'ARGONNE  in  a  general  northeasterly 
direction  through  Lancon.  The  First  Corps  (U.  S.)  attacks  on 
the  present  front  of  the  28th  Division  at  6  Hours,  7  October,  1918. 

2.  The  82nd  Division,  less  1  Infantry  Brigade,  will  attack  at  5 
Hours,  7  October,  1918.  Attack  will  be  made  by  the  164th  In- 
fantry Brigade  supported  by  the  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  303 

3.  (a)  Sector  limits  of  the  attack. 

Right  Boundary:  FLEVILLE,  exclusive — Elevation  151. 
Left  Boundary:   Ferme  De   GRANGES— La  FORGE — 
CHATEAU      of      CHATEL-CHE- 
HERY— Meridian  79.8. 
(&)  Objectives: 

First  Objective  will  be  the  line  FLEVILLE,  exclusive — 
Cornay,  inclusive— Hill  223,  inclusive— Point  97.8-79.0. 

(c)  Corps  Objective: 

Same  as  the  first  objective  to  CORNAY— Elevation  151 
i^o  km.  West  of  CORNAY)— Cote  263  (IVa  km.  West  of 
CORNAY)— Point  95.5-80.0— To  LA  VIERGETTE. 

(d)  164th  Infantry  Brigade  will  relieve  the  infantry  ele- 
ments of  the  28th  Division  on  the  line  North  of  La  FORGE 
before  24  hours  6  October,  1918.  The  leading  elements  of  the 
Brigade  will  be  crossed  over  the  AIRE  River  via  the  Bridge  at 
La  FORGE  and  improvised  foot  bridges  between  La  FORGP]  and 
FLEVILLE  and  formed  along  the  Railroad  track  running  along 
the  West  side  of  the  Aire  River  before  the  hour  for  attack, 
covered  by  active  patrols.  Rate  of  advance  of  Infantry  units 
from  position  of  departure  100  meters  in  3  minutes.  Front  line 
Infantry  Battalions  will  not  be  reinforced  but  will  be  passed 
through  by  support  Battalions  when  they  are  definitely  slowed 
down  by  enemy  resistance.  Combat  Liaison  Detachment  consist- 
ing of  one  company  of  Infantry  and  1  Machine  Gun  Platoon  will 
maintain  contact  with  the  28th  Division  on  our  left.  One  com- 
pany of  Infantry  and  one  Machine  Gun  Platoon  will  maintain 
combat  liaison  with  the  liaison  detachment  of  the  First  Division 
on  our  right  near  the  Bridge  at  FLEVILLE. 

(e)  ARTILLERY: 

157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  will  support  this  attack. 
The  advancing  Infantry  will  be  covered  by  a  rolling  barrage 
moving  at  the  rate  of  100  meters  in  three  minutes.  Barrage  to 
start  at  5  Hours  and  to  be  placed  within  Division  sector  limits 
and  parallel  to  the  railroad  track  on  the  West  bank  of  the  AIRE 
River. 

The  initial  position  of  the  barrage  will  be  200  meters  West  of 
the  track  and  to  advance  in  a  W^esterly  direction  up  to  a  line 
200  meters  beyond  the  first  objective.  At  "H"  plus  3  hours  the 
barrage  will  be  laid  beyond  the  first  objective  and  advanced  at 
the  same  rate  to  a  point  200  meters  beyond  the  Corps  objective. 
In  addition  to  this  barrage,  artillery  concentration  will  be  made 
during  the  advance  on  known  enemy  Infantry  and  Artillery 
positions. 

(x)  Troops  will  be  prepared  to  advance  from  the  first  objec- 
tive at  "H"  plus  3  hours.  The  Corps  objective  when  reached 
will  be  organized  and  held  at  all  costs. 

4.  Axis  of  Liaison : 

Axis  of  the  1st  Division  to  Chaudron  Farme,  thence  L'ESPER- 
ANCB— La  FORGE— CHATEL-CHBHERY— CORNAY. 

Plan  of  Liaison,  Annex  6  (as  amended)  to  Field  Order  17  in 
effect. 

Plan  of  communication,  supply  and  evacuation  as  prescribed  in 
Field  Order  17   (Annex  5). 


304  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

5.  Post  of  Command: 

P.  C.  82nd  Division  VARENNES. 

Advance   Center   of  Information,   82nd   Division,   CHAU- 

DRON  FERME. 
P.  C.  163rd  Inf.  Brigade  without  cliange. 
P.  C.  164th  Inf.  Brigade  Depot  MUNICIONS  (00.3-79.3). 
P.  C.  157th  Field  Artillery  Brigade  VARENNES. 

G.  B.  Duncan, 
Major  General,  U.  S.  A., 
Commanding  82nd  Division. 

SECRET. 
COPY  NO.  4. 

82  DIV.,  U.  S. 
9  October,  1918. 
2:35  o'clock. 
FIELD  ORDERS 

NO.  21. 
MAP:  FORET  D'ARGONNE— 1/20,000. 

1.  Our  attack  to-day  made  substantial  gains. 

2.  The  attack  ordered  by  Field  Order  68,  1st  Army  Corps,  will 
be  resumed  at  8  Hr.  30,  9th  October,  by  the  Division  and  be 
vigorously  pushed. 

3.  (a)  The  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  is  released  from  Corps 
Reserve,  and  less  one  Infantry  Regiment  will  relieve  in  its  sector 
the  28th  Division  (less  Artillery  and  Engineers),  the  relief  being 
under  the  direction  of  the  Commanding  General,  28th  Division, 
and  will  be  completed  by  4  hours,  9th  October. 

Present  Sector  limits  of  the  28th  Division. 

East    boundary:    Hill    223     (exclusive)     Point    96.0-80.5— 

MARCQ  (inclusive),  thence  due  North  to  AIRE  River. 
West    boundary:    LA    VIERGETTE— Point    94.5-80.0— La 
BESOGNE,  CHEVIERES. 
Present  Sector  limits  of  82nd  Division : 
Eastern :  FLEVILLE-BAULNY  Road. 
Western :  Same  as  East  boundary  of  28th  Division. 
(h)  The    163rd    Infantry    Brigade,    less    one    Regiment,    will 
attack  in  the  area  of  the  28th  Division — to  the  Corps  objective, 
parallel   82.     Rate  of   advance  not  to   exceed  100  meters  in  3 
minutes. 

(c)  The  164th  Infantry  Brigade  will  continue  its  attack.  Rate 
of  advance  not  to  exceed  100  meters  in  3  minutes. 

(d)  One  Infantry  Regiment,  163rd  Brigade,  Division  Reserve — 
at  CHARPENTRY. 

(e)  ARTILLERY:  The  53rd  F.  A.  Brigade  Mill  support  the 
attack  of  the  163rd  Infantry  Brigade  and  the  157th  F.  A.  Brigade 
will  support  the  attack  of  the  164th  Infantry  Brigade.  Inter- 
diction fire  will  be  kept  in  front  of  Infantry. 

Harassing  and  destructive  fire  as  ordered  by  Commanding  Gen- 
eral, 157tli  F.  A.  Brigade,  under  whose  orders  the  53i:d  F.  A. 
Brigade  comes  at  21  hours,  8th  October.  Upon  arrival  of  the 
Infantry  at  their  objective,  all  artillery  will  be  available  for 
harassing  and  searching  fire  North  of  the  final  objective.     This 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  305 

fire  must  be  so  regulated  by  Infantry  Commanders  and  Artillery 
Liaison  Officers  as  to  best  protect  their  troops  and  exploitation 
patrols. 

(/)  103rd  Engineers — Present  missions — 307th  Engineers,  Divi- 
sion Reserve. 

{g)  Signal  Troops  of  28th  Division  to  be  relieved  by  Signal 
Troops  of  82nd  Division. 

{h)  Sanitary  Troops  of  28th  Division  to  be  relieved  by  Sani- 
tary Troops  of  82nd  Division. 

(i)  Combat  Liaison — Combat  liaison  groups  consisting  of  one 
Infantry  platoon  with  machine  guns  detailed  from  each  Brigade 
will  assure  contact  between  Brigades.  One  of  these  groups  will 
be  detailed  by  each  Brigade  for  each  of  its  flanks,  except  that 
for  the  right  of  the  lG4th  Infantry  Brigade  there  shall  be  one 
Infantry  Company. 

(j)  RESERVE:  Division  Reserve  will  be  alerted  at  "H"  Hour. 

(x)  EXPLOITATION  AND  ORGANIZATION  OF  POSITION: 

Immediately  upon  arrival  at  the  objective,  the  position  will  be 
organized  in  depth  as  the  position  of  resistance,  and  exploitation 
patrols  will  be  sent  to  the  North  and  West  as  far  as  the  Aire 
River,  which  will  be  the  limit  of  the  outpost  position. 

4.  Administrative  instructions  are  covered  in  orders  to  be 
issued  later. 

5.  Posts  of  Command : 

82nd  Division  at  and  after  12  hours,  9th  October,  La  FORGE 
(02.5-75.2). 

163rd  Inf.  Brigade   CHENE  TONDU 

164th  Inf.  Brigade  CHATEL  CHEHERY 

Geo.  B.  Duncan, 
Major  General,  Commanding, 

G-I 

82  DIV.,  U.  S., 
October  11,  1918. 

SECRET 

ORDERS 

NO.  30. 

1.  The  following  administrative  instructions  are  published: 

2.  RAILHEAD:  October  12th— FROIDOS. 

October  13th— CHEPPY, 

DISTRIBUTING  POINTS : 

{a)  Rations — Commencing  October  12th  and  until  further 
orders,  in  the  forward  area,  excepting  the  artillery,  will  draw 
rations  from  this  point  after  2  p.m.  October  12th.  Rations  will 
be  distributed  to  the  artillery  by  truck  to  regiments  as  hereto- 
fore. Troops  at  GRANGE  le  COMTE  Farm  will  be  supplied  by 
truck  from  the  railhead. 

(&)  Gas  supplies:  To  be  at  the  Distributing  Point  at  APRE- 
MONT. 

(c)  Gasoline:  Gasoline  will  be  supplied  at  the  distributing 
point  at  APREMONT. 


306  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

3.  MOVEMENT  OP  UNITS : 

(a)  M.O.R.S.  and  M.S.T.U.  will  move  to  APREMONT  on  Octo- 
ber 12tli  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable  after  reconnaissance 
of  that  place  by  the  Division  Ordnance  Officer  and  Division  Motor 
Transport  Officer. 

(b)  Supply  Train  to  xVPREMONT. 

(c)  Medical  Supply  Depot  and  Triage  at  VARENNES  vi^ill  move 
on  October  12th  to  the  German  Hospital,  one-half  kilometer 
southwest  of  APREMONT  on  the  lower  APREMONT— le  CHENE 
TONDU  Road. 

(d)  Field  Hospital  at  CLERMONT  will  move  to  VARENNES 
on  October  12th. 

(e)  Supply  Companies  of  Infantry  and  Machine  Gun  units  will 
move  from  their  present  location  to  the  forward  area  and  will 
be  stationed  at  such  places  as  may  be  directed  by  Captain  Catch- 
ings  Therrell  of  the  Division  Quartermaster's  office.  Command- 
ing Officers  of  Supply  Companies  will  keep  closely  in  touch  with 
their  organizations  so  as  to  be  able  to  supply  them  with  hot 
meals  whenever  possible. 

(/)  Second  Echelon  of  Division  Headquarters  (G-1  office, 
Trains  Headquarters,  Division  Surgeon,  Division  Inspector)  to 
La  FORGE  as  soon  as  that  place  is  vacated  by  the  First  Echelon. 

4.  DRESSING  STATIONS  :  PYLONE,  I'ESPERANCE,  CHATEL 
CHEHERY. 

5.  SMALL  ARMS  AMMUNITION  DUMPS :  Commencing  Octo- 
ber 12th. 

Farm  des  GRANGES— 99.8-79.8. 

APREMONT. 

MONTBLAINVILLE   (for  the  12th  and  13th  only). 

6.  The  Division  Signal  Officer  will  have  a  telephone  placed  In 
the  old  railroad  station  near  APREMONT. 

7.  SALVAGE :  AH  property  for  salvage  will  be  turned  in  by  the 
field  trains  at  the  distributing  point,  and  by  trucks  to  the  sal- 
vage dump  at  CLERMONT.  All  machine  gun  units  will  make 
special  effort  to  salvage  their  machine  gun  strips  for  reloading 
by  the  machine  gun  units,  as  there  is  only  a  limited  supply  of 
machine  gun  strips  on  hand. 

8.  The  Division  Ordnance  Officer  wall  keep  on  hand  at  the 
M.O.R.S.  at  APREMONT  a  supply  of  Individual  ordnance  equip- 
ment. 

9.  ENGINEER  MATERIAL:  Engineer  material  can  be  drawn 
without  formality  from  the  following  dumps : 

North  of  IMONTBLAINVILLE :  Barbed  wire,  pickets,  picks 

and  shovels. 
South  of  APREMONT :  Barbed  wire  and  pickets. 
North  of  APREMONT:   Lumber,   barbed  wire,   picks  and 

shovels. 
Northwest    of    APREMONT:     (Along    railroad)     German 

dump  not  inventoried. 
Le  MENIL  Farm :  German  dump  not  inventoried. 
(a)  Special  Divisional  Dumps  of  barbed  wire,  stakes  and  sand 
bags    are    being    established    at    IMONTBIAINVILLE    and    Le 
CHENE  TONDU.    A  large  dump  of  all  classes  of  engineer  mate- 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  307 

rial  is  in  the  northwest  part  of  VARENNES.     Material  can  be 
drawn  therefrom  on  requisition  signed  by  an  officer,  setting  forth 
the  purpose  for  which  needed;  approval  is  effected  at  the  dump. 
(&)  The  Divisional  Engineers  are  located  as  follows: 

Headquarters,  307th  Engineers— At  La  FORGE,  just  east 

of  CHATEL  CHEHEUY. 
Headquarters,  307th  Engr.  Tn.— Le  MENIL  Farm, 
(c)  The  Engineers  will  construct  a  brdige  as  soon  as  practi- 
cable at  CHATEL  CHEHERY. 

BY  COMMAND  OF  MAJOR  GENERAL  DUNCAN : 

GoKDON  Johnston, 
Chief  of  Staff, 

SECRET. 

Copy  No.  5. 

82  DIV.,  U.  S., 

14  October,  1918. 
21  Hours. 
FIELD  ORDERS 

NO.  25. 
MAPS:  BUZANCY  1/20,000. 

I.  INFORMATION  OF  THE  ENEMY  AND  INTENTION  OF 
THE  HIGH  COMMAND. 

(a)  The  Kremhilde  Stellung  has  been  breached  by  the  82nd 
Division. 

(&)  The  First  Army  continues  its  advance  on  15  October  at  7 
hours  30—15  October,  1918. 

II.  ZONES  OF  ACTION  AND  OBJECTIVES.  See  attached 
tracing. 

III.  USE  OF  TROOPS. 

(a)  Troops  will  be  formed  up  for  attack  at  6  hours,  15th  Octo- 
ber.   Order  of  Brigades  in  line  same  as  to-day. 

(&)   Infantry  Action. 

Troops  advance  from  jumping  off  line  at  7  hours  30,  and  con- 
tinue without  halt  to  the  Corps  objective.  Rate  of  Infantry 
advance  100  meters  in  six  minutes  for  the  first  1000  meters. 

(c)  Artillery  preparation  will  commence  at  once.  Ravines  and 
woods  will  be  strongly  gassed  with  non-persistent  gas  up  to  H 
minus  four  hours.  Routes  of  approach,  cross  roads  and  other 
targets  will  be  strongly  shelled. 

A  barrage  will  be  placed  300  meters  in  front  of  jumping  off 
line  7  hours  25  and  held  there  until  7  hours  30,  when  it  will  be 
moved  forward  at  the  rate  of  Infantry  advance  for  1000  meters, 
when  this  barrage  will  be  stopped.  Smoke  shells  will  be  included 
In  this  barrage. 

When  barrage  stops  the  fire  of  the  321st  Field  Artillery  will 
be  at  the  disposal  of  the  Commanding  General,  163rd  Brigade, 
and  the  fire  of  one  battalion,  320th  Field  Artillery,  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Commanding  General,  164th  Brigade. 

Forward  guns — no  change. 

(d)  Upon  arrival  on  the  Corps  objective  the  position  will  be 
organized  in  depth,  and  exploitation  made  by  contact  patrols. 


308  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

(e)  Division  Reserve.  One  Battalion,  325th  Infantry,  to  ba 
in  the  vicinity  of  cross  roads  at  98.1-85.0,  at  6  hours. 

(/)  Machine  Guns.  One  Machine  Gun  Company  will  accom- 
pany each  support  and  assault  Battalion.  Long  range  machine 
guns  will  lire  in  accordance  with  instructions  already  given. 

The  319th  Machine  Gun  Battalion  will  form  a  part  of  the  Divi- 
sion Reserve,  and  vv^ill  fire  as  directed  by  Division  Machine  Gun 
Officer. 

{g)  Attention  is  invited  to  the  advisability  of  covering  the 
advance  with  scouts  separated  by  wide  intervals.  In  the  attack 
supports  and  reserves  will  be  kept  well  echeloned  in  depth  and 
will  advance  in  lines  of  small  columns.  It  must  be  impressed 
upon  all  that  the  wide  front  the  Division  is  called  upon  to  cover 
necessitates  considerable  intervals  between  Combat  groups. 

Thickening  of  front  line  where  resistance  is  encountered  by 
feeding  in  supports  and  reserves  must  be  avoided.  Full  use  will 
be  made  of  all  auxiliary  infantry  weapons  and  the  forward  guns 
of  the  Field  Artillery. 

IV.  LIAISON. 

(a)  Axis  of  Liaison.     See  attached  sketch. 

(&)  Combat  Liaison:  No  change  except  that  initial  points  will 
be  determined  by  Brigade  Commanders  after  agreement  with 
adjacent  Brigade  Commanders. 

(c)  Plan  of  Air  Service.    No  change. 

V.  No  change  in  administration  details. 

VI.  Posts  of  command : 

82nd  Div. — No  change, 
163rd  Brigade— 98.4-84.9  from  10  hours. 
164th  Brigade— SOMMERANCE  from  10  hours. 
157th  F.  A.  Brigade— No  change. 

Geo.  B.  Duncan, 
Major  'General,  U.  S.  A., 
Commanding. 

SECRET. 

82nd  Division,  U.  S., 
17  October,  1918, 
20  Hours. 
FIELD  ORDERS 

NO.  29. 
MAPS :  BUZANCY  1/20,000. 

1.  INFORMATION  OF  THE  ENEMY  AND  INTENTION  OF 
THE  HIGH  COMMAND. 

{a)  The  78th  Division  on  our  left  occupies  the  Southern  edge 
of  BOIS  de  LOGES. 

(b)  The  attack  of  the  First  Army  Corps  will  be  resumed  at 
6  hours  30,  18  October. 

(c)  82nd  Division  will  support  and  protect  the  right  flank  of 
the  78th  Division,  maintaining  contact  and  advancing  with  that 
Division. 


OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION  309 

2.  ZONES  OF  ACTION  AND  OBJECTIVE. 

(a)  Objective — Without  change. 

(6)  Zones  of  Action.  ^^ 

East  Boundary  after  5  hours,  18  October— CHATEL  CHE- 
HERY  (exclusive)— MARCQ  (inclusive)— CHAMPIGNEULLE 
(inclusive)— RE SILLE  FARM    (exclusive). 

Boundary  between  Brigades  after  5  hours,  18  October,  point 
98.5-86.3;  98.8-88.8;  thence  along  Eastern  edge  of  vi^oods  between 
Meridians  97  and  98  and  between  parallels  88  and  90;  thence 
from  the  North  edge  of  the  woods  due  North. 

3.  USE  OF  TROOPS. 

(a)  Commanding  General,  163rd  Brigade,  will  relieve  with  one 
battalion  and  one  machine  gun  company  the  309th  Infantry  in 
the  area  between  the  present  left  boundary  of  the  82nd  Division 
and  the  boundary  as  announced  in  Paragraph  2.  Commanding 
Officer  of  the  battalion  to  make  this  relief  will  report  upon  receipt 
of  this  order  to  the  Commanding  Officer,  309th  Infantry,  at  his 
P.  C.  at  East  entrance  of  ST.  JUVIN  on  the  St.  JUVIN-FLB- 
VILLE  road  and  arrange  relief.  Relief  will  be  completed  by  5 
hours,  18  October. 

Patrols  from  the  left  Battalion  of  the  Division  will  constantly 
maintain  contact  with  the  78th  Division  and  will  be  ready  to 
move  forward  with  the  right  of  that  Division. 

Commanding  General,  164th  Brigade,  will  make  the  necessary 
dispositions  in  new  area  assigned  him  before  5  hours,  18  October. 

(&)  ARTILLERY:  At  6  hours,  18  October,  157th  Field  Artil- 
lerv  Brigade  will  place  a  strong  concentration  of  high  explosive 
shells  and  gas  in  CHAMPIGNEULLE  and  East  of  the  AGRON 
River,  thus  supporting  the  advance  of  the  78th  Division.  Artillery 
will  not  fire  in  the  BOIS  de  LOGES.  Any  known  enemy  batteries 
in  action  will  be  taken  under  counter-battery  fire. 

(c)  Division  Observers  will  carefully  watch  for  enemy  concen- 
trations that  would  indicate  a  counter-attack  and  report  such  con- 
centrations promptly.  Any  enemy  machine  guns  in  action  will  be 
promptly  reported  in  order  that  they  may  be  covered  by  artil- 
lery fire. 

4.  LIAISON— Without  change. 

5.  POSTS  OF  COMMAND— Without  change. 

Geo.  B.  Duncan, 
Major  General,  U.  8.  A., 
Commanding. 

XII 

DECORATIONS,  PRISONERS  TAKEN,   MATERIAL 
CAPTURED 

Decoeations 

The  number  of  decorations  awarded  to  officers  and  men  of  the 
division  shown  below  represent  the  figures  obtained  from  the 
records  prior  to  the  departure  of  the  division  from  France. 
Subsequent  to  that  time  several  additional  decorations  have  been 


310  OFFICIAL  HISTORY  OF  82nd  DIVISION 

awarded  by  the  War  Department  and  several  decorations  have 
been  granted  by  the  allied  governments. 

Kind  of  Decoration  Number  of  officers 

and  men  decorated. 

Congressional  Medal  of  Honor 2 

Distinguished  Service  Medal 3 

Distinguished  Service  Cross 75 

Division  Citations 

There  were  cited  by  the  Division  commander  for  splendid  con- 
duct in  action  against  the  enemy,  or  for  conspicuous  efficience 
in  positions  of  great  responsibility,  436  officers  and  men. 

Enemy  Peisonees  Taken 

During  the  operations  against  the  enemy  there  were  captured 
by  members  of  the  division  the  following : 

18  Officers 
827  Men 

Material  Captured 

The  following  represents  the  material  captured  by  the  division 
in  the  St.  Mihiel  and  the  Meuse  Argonne  offensive: 

St.  JMihiel      Meuse-Argonne 

Heavy  Machine  Guns 2  121 

Light  Machine  Guns 156 

Field  Pieces  150's 1 

Field  Pieces  155's 1 

Field  Pieces  77's 9 

Minnenwefers    3  29 

Auto-Tank    Guns 3 

Aeroplanes  2 

In  addition  to  the  above,  there  were  captured  during  the 
Meuse-Argonne  offensive  large  quantities  of  railroad  and  en- 
gineering material. 


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